My PreSchool Teacher
by BitterSweet LoveRott
Summary: Elena Gilbert is a 23-year-old NEW pre-school teacher, and her newly discovered favorite student happens to be the son of the person she hadn't hoped to SEE again. - 'I know I could recognize those tantalizing, blue eyes anywhere.'
1. Prologue

**Title**: My Pre-School Teacher

**Author**: BitterSweet LoveRott

**Rating**: Rated T

**No. of Chapters: _**

**Word Count: _**

**Other:** AH, AU, Delena, PG-13;

**My Pre-School Teacher**: Elena Gilbert_ was one woman who knew how to live her life to the fullest. She was 13 when she had her first shot of tequila. She was 14 when she had smoked her first pack of Marlboro. She was 15 when she first fell in love with a football junkie. She was 16 when she had her first taste of pleasure, and since then, she just can't get enough. She lived to party, and partied to live!_

_A couple months later, she had come to the point of her life shattering to pieces when she decided it was the time to turn her life around. She went to college to pursue her dreams of becoming an educator. She fell in love with an imposing, young man named _Stefan Salvatore_ while they were in college, and then eventually met his much charming, older brother, _Damon_, who seems to be in competition for her affections. It was just nearly before graduation when _Elena_ had enough of this outrageous rivalry between the two brothers that she called off the relationship. She never saw them since then._

Stefan_ was eaten alive by the unbearable torment of loss, but _Damon_ begged to differ._

_Now,_ Elena Gilbert_ is a 23-year-old Pre-School teacher, and her first year of teaching 6-year-old kids was going as well as she had planned it would be… till' she realized that her favorite student was the son of his ex-boyfriend's brother, and now she has to face dismissal time, family days and parent-teacher conferences with him._

_And the worst part is:_

_Now that Stefan's out of the way, nothing will be able to stop him from getting what _he_ wanted all along._

.

.

.

"I know that I could recognize those tantalizing blue eyes anywhere."


	2. Chapter 1: First Class

**Chapter 1**: First Class

.

.

.

It was in the first week of August and the smell of autumn filled the air. It was a beautiful Monday morning in Mystic Falls. The sky was as an enchanting shade of cerulean. The trees were beginning to show their fiery colors. Tangerine and Burgundy colored leaves danced with the wind. The air was cool and refreshing and it was a nice enough atmosphere for a long, deep breath.

Elena walked from her apartment to the small kindergarten center just a couple of blocks away from her house. _'It was a nice day for a walk'_, she thought, deciding to stretch her legs in the morning instead of taking her car to school on her first day as a teacher.

Yes, it is her first day as a teacher. It had been her dream since she was 6. She had always convinced her playmates to play 'school'. She was supposed to be the teacher, and her friends were to be the students. Her mom even supplied her toys to make their play time much more of a reality. She bought Elena rubber stamps and an inkpad which had the words 'Job Well Done' and a picture of a smiley face on them. She even gave her a small chalkboard and an eraser. It had always been her interest to teach when she was young. And now, she was going to live her dream.

It was 7:10 in the morning when she was a couple of blocks away from the small building called _'Mystic Falls Kindergarten Center'_. Elena wore a long-sleeved white blouse and a navy blue pencil skirt, since she didn't believe that black was a color appropriate for wearing. She didn't like dull things. She wanted everything around her to be _bold_. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun held together by ornamental pins that gathered her dark brown locks. She had thin make-up on, just enough to enhance her appearance but not too much as too make her look like she was going to a party. She held her navy purse on her left hand and a couple of folders clutched to her chest on her right arm. She looked like a natural educator.

A smile had been plastered on her face since last night, as she brushed her teeth and fixed the things she was going to have to use on the following day. Like any other teacher, she had prepared a lesson plan for her students, fun games to entertain them with and of course, stamps and stickers as rewards for their job well done. _'I hope it'd be that easy for them to like Me.'_, she thought again.

15 minutes later, the small beige-colored building began appearing before her eyes. She saw the sign, close enough to be readable: '_Mystic Falls Kindergarten Center: A place where kids can learn, laugh and grow'_. It was a one-storey building that almost looked like an ordinary house, only bigger. There was an exceptional garden on the front yard where lots of plants and flowers grew. The lawn was newly mowed and although the building was still empty. It would be, of course. Classes don't start till' 8:10.

When she had arrived in the school, she entered the two front doors quietly. The place was still deserted and quite dark, but there were rays of sunlight that had entered from the windows and they brought light to the corridor. She saw a huge bulletin board on her right side that greeted 'Welcome to Mystic Falls Kindergarten Center!' and it had 3 sheets of paper hanging below it. She lifted them one by one and realized that they were a list of names of the kids that would be attending the school this year.

She saw her name on the first piece of paper that lay on top among the others. It said: Class I – Teacher: Ms. Elena Gilbert. And then below her name were 15 other names that she was in need to memorize: Angelica, Elisha, Christine, Jennifer, Ryan, Kevin, Justin, Isabella, Candace, Elaine, Steven, Dylan, Taylor, Michael and Ronald. She smiled as her eyes hovered over each name. She took another deep breath and then made her way to the farther parts of the center.

The echo of Elena's heels clicking against the floor reverberated along the corridor. She turned her head as she passed by each room. There were two classrooms that held at least 15 small desks each. Then followed a small play room filled with play houses, a small slide, toys, action figures and dolls and even a small kitchen set for those who wished to play 'house'. There was also a small computer laboratory that was filled with small desktop computers for the children to use. The last room that was available was the teacher's lounge, she had guessed.

Elena entered the teacher's lounge and opened the lights. There was a small counter where coffee could be made. There was also a small couch and a TV set that settled on one side of the room. There were three large desks that scattered in different portions of the room, wherein two of them were filled with papers and pictures, while the other one was empty. _Nearly_ empty.

"This must be mine." Elena whispered to herself as she walked to the empty mahogany-colored desk and placed her items on them. She saw another small folder that lay on top of the table. A look of curiosity marked her face as she took the folder gently into her hands and flipped it open. It was her attendance sheet with the list of her student's names on them. A smile of excitement settled on her lips as she laid down the folder into the desk again and walked over to the counter where coffee could be made.

She made herself a mug of freshly brewed coffee and sachet back to her desk again. She took a sip from her mug and scanned her attendance folder again. It was the same familiar names she had seen on the bulletin board along the corridors: Angelica, Elisha, Christine, Jennifer, Ryan, Kevin, Justin, Isabella, Candace, Elaine, Steven, Dylan, Taylor, Michael and Ronald.

"I've gotta remember that." Elena muttered as she began chanting the names over and over again: "Angelica, Elisha, Christine, Jennifer, Ryan, Kevin, Justin, Isabella, Candace, Elaine, Ste "

"Steven, Dylan, Taylor, Michael and Ronald." Elena's head shot up to where the small voice came from. She twisted her head to the side to see a blond-haired woman over at the counter making her a cup of coffee. "Memorizing names are a lot easier if you've already met them." The woman added as Elena still had her eyes glued to her.

After preparing her coffee, the woman turned around to face Elena. She looked young, in her mid 20's, just like Elena herself. She had curly, blond hair that reached till' below her shoulders and she her skin was snow white. Her emerald green eyes had a tint of hospitality in them and her pink lips widened in a smile. "You must be the new teacher." She muttered as she walked over to Elena's desk with both her hands clasping her mug.

"I'm Caroline. Caroline Forbes. This is my 3rd year teaching here." The woman whispered as she raised a hand and offered it to Elena. Elena shook it unhesitant and even gave Caroline a friendly smile of her own.

"Oh, hi. I'm Elena Gilbert." She said as sheer happiness in her voice. "It's finally good to know that I work with other teachers here." Elena let out a low chuckle as Caroline took a seat on Elena's desk. She placed her mug beside hers and then casually laid her hands on her lap.

"So, Elena, is this your first time teaching?" Caroline asked her sweetly.

"Um, yeah, kinda." Elena answered back nervously. "Are they nice?"

"Of course they are." Caroline giggled at her slightly obvious question. "They're 6 year old kids. How bad could they be?"

"I don't know. What if they hate me?"

"They wouldn't hate you unless you don't give them enough play time or if you actually get their names wrong." Caroline told her informally, and Elena's face twisted into a face of terror. _'Oh No! I should've memorized those names the moment the superintendent gave me the list! How could I lose it! My teaching career has already ended before it even began.'_ Elena was about to stressfully place her forehead on her palm when Caroline interrupted, "I'm kidding." And burst into a fit of laughter.

"Aw, Elena, nobody could ever hate a kindergarten teacher. Those kinds of hatred are only geared toward High School professors who give too much homework. While we," And then Caroline grabbed the mugs of coffee, hers and Elena's, and handed the other one to Elena. "Get hugged by kids and feel like the most loved people in the whole universe." She raised her mug, offering a toast, and Elena raised hers in level with Caroline's and their mugs touched with a low clunk.

Elena took a long sip off her coffee with a small smile. She felt the intoxicating aroma of the coffee fill in her senses. She felt calm and relaxed, till' she felt the incisive ringing of the school bell. She finished her coffee until the last drop had come into contact with her tongue. She laid the mug back to her desk and saw Caroline collect her stuff.

"Come on, Elena. Are you ready for your first class?" Caroline asked Elena with a smug smile, her hands crossed on her chest with her files in place. Elena nodded and collected the belongings she needed for class and stood up. She held her attendance sheet clutched in her right hand and followed Caroline out of the Teacher's Lounge.

How long had it been since she was in that room? She could see how much things had changed for the past 40 minutes? The corridor was now well lit by fluorescent lamps that hung low on the roof. There were still a couple of students that were left in the hallway, running as fast as they could to their respective rooms. And now, she could also hear the laughter and the high voices of the children inside the rooms.

Caroline escorted Elena to her room, but before they separated for the morning, Caroline whispered a few encouraging words in Elena's ear. "Good Luck, Ms. Gilbert." Caroline said reassuringly, bumping Elena with her hips. Elena let out a short giggle of relief.

"Thanks, Ms. Forbes." Elena whispered back. Her hand shot out to grab the doorknob, but her movements were interrupted by Caroline again.

"Meet me at the Teacher's Lounge after class. Tell me about your day." Caroline didn't ask. She _insisted_ that Elena tell her about what _might_ happen. Elena just nodded at her and then turned the knob to glance at her _first class_.

As soon as she walked in the room, she felt 15 pairs of eyes watching her every move. Elena walked to her desk and laid her items on top. She felt her heart race as if it was running a marathon. _'Come on, you can do this Elena. Don't be afraid. They're just 6-year-olds.'_ She reassured herself, taking her time with arranging her things, her back to the students. _'But they out number me one to fifteen, and fifteen 6-year-old kids sum up to about 90. They're 90-years-old combined all together!'_ She thought to herself stupidly. She shook her head and then thought again. _'What? That's impossible. 6-year-old kids can't turn to a 90-year-old terror. I can do this. You can do this, Elena. Good Luck.'_

Elena took a one last breath and turned to her class with a nervous smile on her face. "Good Morning, class." She greeted them loud enough for it to look like she knew exactly what she was doing. Just then, every one of her students stood up and greeted her back in chorus.

"Good Morning, Ms. Gilbert!" They all said with smiles, and that was all it needed to take to give Elena her final reassurance. She was welcome here, and she felt their warmth in her heart. That was the moment Elena had her chance to smile genuinely. And at that, Elena insisted for all of them to sit down.

"Okay then," She smiled at let her eyes hover on each of the faces she saw before her. She tried to recall all the names she had read earlier, but of course, the most important thing she had to do was to stir up an introduction she could use for the class. "My name is Elena Gilbert, but you may call me Ms. Gilbert or Ms. Elena, whichever you prefer. This is my first time teaching and I'm glad to say that you are my first class. Your faces will all be in my heart." She said sweetly and received a couple of _Aw_s from the class.

"I am 23-years-old and I love the color blue. When I was young, I used to play teacher with my friends. Who would've known that I'd _actually_ be one? Well, that means all dreams could come true." Elena said as her eyes trailed from face to face. "Now, let's check your attendance first. When I call your name, you raise your hand and say present, alright?" The kids nodded.

Elena walked to the other side of her desk and pulled out a chair. She saw something on it, a blue box that was at least an inch thick. She took the box in her hands and shook it. It made a peculiar sound. She turned to the class, wanting to ask if any of them knew about the box that was on her chair.

"Now before the attendance, I would just want to ask one thing. Class, who could me tell what this is?" Elena asked them. Most of the class raised their hands. Elena called the one whom raised her hand first, a sweet-looking girl with long, curly, dark brown hair. Elena motioned a hand to her, "Yes?"

"It's a blue box." The student stood up, answered the question for a matter of fact, and then sat back down.

"Very Good!" Elena added. "Now, could anyone tell me if they know who placed this box on my chair?" She asked again, but this time, nobody raised his or her hand, and Elena wondered. "Come on, guys and girls. The one to give me the answer first gets…" She paused as she took out another folder on her desk. Elena scraped a sticker of a star from the folder and showed it to the class. "This sticker of a star on their notebook."

And that was when one hand shot up in the air. It belonged to a small boy with messy, coal black hair that almost covered his cerulean eyes. She called him and he stood up from his seat. "Do you know who put this here, sweetie?" Elena asked the kid.

"Yes, Ms. Elena." He answered in a cute, high-pitched voice when he opened his lips. "I put it there." The boy added, and Elena was caught in shock. _'Now, why would a kid put this box here?'_ Before she could ask him another question, the boy continued. "It's a gift for you." And those words almost melted her heart. She couldn't even find words for it.

"Come here and bring your notebook, sweetie." She muttered under her breath, but she guessed that it was loud enough for the boy to hear it. He bent down to his bag and took out a small notebook that had Optimus Prime on the cover. Then, he took small steps toward Elena's table.

Elena sat down on her desk and placed the box on the table. She didn't even know what was in it. She took the notebook in her hands and flipped it to the last page. "What's your name, sweetie?" Elena asked the boy as she stuck the sticker into the last page.

"Dylan." The boy said with a cute smirk on his face. "Daddy told me to give this to you. He found out that you were new, so he wanted to give you a gift." Dylan added as he collected the notebook back in his small palms.

Elena gave him a smiled back. She stared into his eyes. _Strangely familiar eyes_, she thought. But then she shook her head and came back to reality. "Well, Dylan, you tell your daddy thanks." She whispered to him with a cutesy-tone in her voice. Elena patted Dylan's head and then motioned for him to get back to his seat.

Elena then took the folder that lay on her desk and opened it. "Now remember, if your name is called, raise your hand up high and say 'Present!' in the loudest voice you can, okay?" She reminded the students and they all seemed to nod. She began saying the names one by one, and they all seemed familiar to her now, since she read them a couple of times earlier this morning.

Then, she began reciting the names in alphabetical order and started remembering their faces.

Jennifer Adams was a redheaded girl with light green eyes and wavy hair that reached below her shoulders. Ronald Allen, or as he prefers to be called as Ron, was a slightly tall boy with slightly long, chestnut brown hair. Kevin Banks was a thin boy with curly, blond hair and light blue eyes that almost seems transparent. Justin Burnette was a short boy with freckles and long dark brown hair. Taylor Daniels was an olive skinned boy with short, black hair and a seemingly perfect nose. Angelica Diaz was a tall girl with slight wavy, long black hair and eyes that were too small for her face. Christine King was a striking girl with beautiful features. She was the curly, longhaired girl that had answered Elena's question on what she was holding in her hands.

Steven O' Riley was a tall boy with the most beautiful olive green eyes she's ever seen in the batch of kids before her. He also had light brown hair that was spiked all over his head. Bella Reed had shoulder-length, wavy, black hair which made her green eyes stand out. Elaine Roberts familiarly looked like Christine. She was beautiful too and she has the same features, except for the fact that her hair was straight and she was a lot shyer that Christine. I later found out that they were cousins. And then there's one name that had caught her attention. She couldn't take her eyes off it.

"Dylan Salvatore." She mentioned once, and Dylan, the boy whom she talked with earlier, had his hand up in the air and screamed 'Present!' at the top of his lungs. "Dylan Salvatore?" Elena took a second glance at the name. Why did it seem so familiar? But, would she be stupid enough to forget one of the most unforgettable relationships we had.

Elena's eyes didn't leave the piece of paper in her hands when she asked Dylan a question. "Dylan, sweetie." She took her time in forming the words mouth. It took a long time for her to muster up the question she was about to release from her lips. "What's your daddy's name exactly?"

And Dylan took no hesitation on his answer. "My daddy's name is _Damon_." And at that, Elena felt her heart explode. "Damon Salvatore." The boy added and Elena felt the explosion double. She flinched at the name once again, and Dylan caught eyes of this. "Ms. Elena, do you know daddy?" Dylan asked, and this time, she didn't know how in hell she would be able to answer the question.

"Um, yes, I do know your dad. I've known him a couple of years back. We've been good friends." Elena answered unsurely, and when Dylan heard this, a smirk crept up to his lips. This time, knowing the genealogy of this kid, it had made her flinch once more.

"Good, cause' daddy told me to wish you luck and he'd be looking forward to see you again." And that was enough to make Elena frightened once more.

She just nodded at his statement and whispered, "Alrighty then." Elena knew that Damon and she had a _long_ history together, and when Stefan was with her, things didn't go as smooth as it ought to be. And meeting after a long time of rivalry and angst wouldn't be such a good idea. _'I guess I found out where Dylan got his charm from.'_ she thought to herself and continued the list.

Elisha Smith was a cute little girl in a floral pink dress. Her hair was dark brown, short and tied into pigtails. Michael Stewart, and also prefers to be called Mike, was a dashing young boy with blond hair and light blue eyes. Ryan Wesley was a boy that caught her eyes as well. He had a rugged look to him, for a small boy. He had messy sandy blond hair, he wore a checkered shirt, and his green eyes pierced through Dylan like a knife. _'This might turn into a fight.'_ Elena thought, seeing how the two boys glance at each other from time to time. The last kid on the list was a beautiful blond with cherry pink lips. Candace Whitley looked exactly like a Barbie doll, pink lips, curly blond hair, and cute clothes. The only thing that differed was her green eyes.

She finished her attendance and had told the class that they weren't going to do much today, since it was the first day of school. They seemed really happy when they heard that Ms. Gilbert was going to take them to the playroom. Elena stood up from her chair and told them to form one straight line.

"Come On, Kids! The sooner you line up, the longer you get to play." Elena gave them a wide smirk, her voice singing a very playful tune as the kids began lining up. The boys playfully and roughly shoved each other as they quickly ran into their lines, while the girls just kept quiet with their hands behind their backs.

Elena placed a finger to her lips and motioned for them to keep silent as they passed the corridor. And eventually, they did. Elena bent down to Candace, the smallest girl who stood in front, and whispered something to her. "Candace, sweetie, could you quietly lead your classmates to the playroom. I'll just get something in the classroom." She asked the blond-haired cutie sweetly.

Candace nodded her head and answered Elena politely, "Yes, Ms. Gilbert." She said and then turned around to face her other classmates. "Follow me." She waved her arm in a come here motion and the line slowly and quietly began moving along with 30 legs.

Elena observed as she saw how well Candace led the group. _'I should probably let her be my Teacher's Help. She's good.'_ She thought to herself in an inner soliloquy. Elena's lips pulled up to a small grin and she walked back inside the classroom. She gathered her belongings on the table, folders and bag and all, and walked up to switch off the lights. Her hand had already grasped the doorknob when she suddenly remembered something.

She paused halfway through turning the knob and her head turned to face the desk. The room was dim, but she could still see the item she suddenly forgotten to remember. Her eyes stared at the blue box that still lay on top of her clear desk. It was the only thing that lay atop of the table, and the fine color of it stood apart from the brown of the wood.

Elena hesitantly walked back to the small desk in the middle of the room. She eyed the present Dylan's 'Daddy' had given her. _A welcoming present_, Dylan had mentioned. Her face twisted into a sour scowl when she'd realized that the kid's father had actually used his own son as a messenger to his teacher. Elena grabbed the box in her hands and stared at it with bitterness, yet also a tint of curiosity.

_Damon had always been a man who loved surprising women_, she thought, wondering what could be found inside it. She placed her items back on the desk and her fingers began intertwining with the elegant, translucent gold ribbon that wrapped around the box. She slowly tugged on the ribbon and watched it slowly fall to the floor. Her fingers had grasped the lid gently, and she opened it without a second thought.

Elena's eyes widened when she discovered that the box was in fact filled with chocolates. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the sight. She could smell the intoxicating aroma of the dark brown bonbons that lay arranged inside the box, containing five a row and four rows all together. _20 pieces_. Regardless of the mouthwatering present she had received, she wondered: _This is too plain. There's something wrong._

It was more of a statement than a question, actually. She placed the lid back on the box and put it on top of the folders. She gathered all her items and then departed the room with several unspoken thoughts in her mind. _'Why would Damon give me chocolates, when my public hatred for cocoa was general knowledge to him?'_ Indeed, she didn't like chocolate. They were too sweet. In fact, if she were to live in a place where chocolate was the only available food source she could have; she'd rather choose to eat the bitterest piece of dark chocolate among others.

Elena then realized that she took a lot longer than she'd thought she would. She checked her watch and saw that she'd left her class for more or less 15 minutes already. She ran to the playroom as fast as she could, but she was too late.

The noise of the children's extreme euphoria rocked the whole building. And when she got inside, she dropped all her items on the floor.

Everything was a mess. The toys were scattered everywhere. The children who chose to paint were covered in the brightest of colors. The girls' hair was out of their cute hair clips and ponytails. The boys were rolling around on the floor, covered with dust and sweat. And it was all _her_ fault.

Elena's eyes were filled with terror. _What am I supposed to do?_ She was beginning to panic. Everything was ruined and it was because she left 6-year-old kids alone for just fifteen minutes! She stared at the kids, running, not seeing her. Her jaw dropped wide with speechlessness. There's only one thing to do.

She placed her fingers on her lips and mustered all the air she could put in. In one long breath, she let out one of the longest and high-pitched whistles she had ever let out in her entire life. Then, for 5 seconds, everything was still again.

All the students paused what they were doing and stared at her. Gratefully, they all knew what the look on the teacher's face means. All of it could be surmised into one word most parents say to their children. _Behave._ Everyone dropped what they held and stopped their movements and they all fell in one straight line again.

They organized themselves within 10 seconds, and this made Elena very impressed, although still petrified about what she saw before her eyes. The children were painted red, green and blue, and their clothes were dirty. _What am I supposed to do?_ Elena asked herself again.

Instead of 'freaking out' like she usually does, she closed her eyes, took one long and deep breath, and tried to find serenity despite of the chaos she faced now. _You can do this_, she chanted to herself repeatedly. _You can do this_.

Her eyes shot open and a small smile spread to her face. She grabbed Candace's hand gently and then announced aloud, "Let's get you cleaned up now, before anyone finds out how messy we've all been." She said calmly, forgetting about the fact that this _'first-class-incident'_ might cause her job.

Elena began pulling Candace slowly and they walked back to the classroom, the other students trailing behind them. Their lips remained shut tight, but their footsteps were gradually becoming loud, so she gave them a quick reminder. "Shh…" She whispered. "If Ms. Forbes hears us, we might get in trouble. And if we get in trouble," She trailed off again, arriving the front door of the classroom. She let the class in one by one, shut the door and pulled down the blinds.

Elena faced the class with a huge smirk on her face. She walked back to her desk and added, "If we get into trouble… We wouldn't be able to eat chocolate before we go home." A huge smile pulled up the corners of her mouth as she removed the lid of the blue box she had in her hands.

She saw her students eyes turn ravenous as they glared at every bit of assorted chocolate arranged perfectly on the little blue box Ms. Gilbert had in her hands. _'I've got them right where I want them.'_ She thought once more as her smile of amusement transformed into pure deviousness.

She eventually placed the lid back on the box, her eyes never leaving the kid's faces. Elena saw the transition in their emotions, from mouthwatering with hunger, to frustration at the tease the teacher had just did to their senses. She was amused to see how much the kids were _determined_ to get the chocolate.

"If you all promise to stay clean and behave for the rest of the day, I'd give you one chocolate each. Promise?" Elena tilted her head and asked them all sweetly in a small compromise. Wide smiles spread on the students' faces as they all answered Elena back in chorus.

"Yes, Ms. Gilbert." And it wasn't long after that, when Elena grabbed the kids one by one and cleaned them up in the bathroom.

_I hope this day will end up better._

.

.

.


	3. Chapter 2: Dylan Salvatore

**Chapter 2**: Dylan Salvatore

.

.

.

Elena had almost finished cleaning up all the kids. She'd cleaned fourteen pairs of arms and had arranged fourteen heads of hair. Although, she knew that there was someone she had recently met, who was going to be as hardheaded as his father was. She rolled her eyes as she dipped a piece of cloth under the running tap and squeezed it till' it was just wet, not dripping.

"Dylan!" Her voice echoed from inside the small bathroom built as running water drowned out the reverberations. "It's your turn, Sweetie!" She waited for a couple of seconds, placing her hand on the sink and leaning on it. Elena drummed her fingers on the sink impatiently as a minute passed by.

"Dylan! Come here!" She called out for him again; crossing her arms on her chest and shifting her weight on her other leg. _'This boy is exactly like his father.'_ She reminisced of her struggles with Damon when he'd been too stubborn and too playful at the same time. Damon had taken her phone several times and had her chase him around the boarding house for it. After a few laps, she'd grow tired and then would eventually ask Stefan if he could put some resistance on his older brother.

Well, those were the days when things weren't awkward though. It was when all Damon wanted was to irritate the hell out of his brother. He hadn't really planned to fall for Elena. It wasn't what he wanted, but life is just too cruel to even manage to conjure up a reasonable excuse for him to fall in love with his younger brother's girlfriend.

"Ms. Gilbert, Dylan doesn't want to clean up." Steven's familiar voice exclaimed from the other room. His high tone interrupted Elena's train of thought, which was good, because she didn't want to remember her days with the Salvatore Brothers. Not that she was bitter or anything, but she just didn't want to remember how she'd messed up a beautiful brotherly bond by entering the brothers' lives.

Elena then got irritated at Dylan's resistance. She turned the faucet off and placed the wet piece of cloth in the sink. She exited the bathroom and when she got to the other room, she saw all the students sitting on their respective chairs. All _fourteen _of them, that is. There was one empty seat that was smeared with orange paint. _I wonder who sits there_.

As Elena's eyes travelled the room, from wall to wall, she saw small orange tracks that were printed all over the floor, and they led to a closet door that had been used for the kid's bags and other items. A wide smirk appeared on Elena's face as her hands settled on her hips.

"Hmm, I wonder where Dylan could be." She said a little too loud so that Dylan could overhear it, as he hid inside the closet. Elena looked around the classroom and motioned a finger to her lips when the class began giggling and chuckling quite as loud too. She then began tiptoeing towards the closet. Her hand gently grasped the doorknob, and in a count of three, she opened it.

To her surprise, the closet was empty. Empty, except for the children's jackets and backpacks. A look of confusion contorted her face. She turned around and saw a dark haired boy, covered with orange spots, running towards the bathroom. She shook her head, and an amused smile shaped her lips. "Ugh. Sneaky little fella." Elena muttered silently to herself and ran after Dylan.

She could hear his laughter fill up the bathroom. When she entered the room, she saw a lock of black hair from the small boy hiding beneath that peeked beneath the towels. Elena closed the bathroom door shut and muttered, "You're trapped, Dylan." She whispered in a playful tone. "It's time to give up!"

"Never, Ms. Elena!" Dylan shouted from beneath the towels. Elena let out a ringing giggle that bounced off the walls, and Dylan's high-pitched laughter chorused in along with hers. Elena jumped to where Dylan was hiding and removed the towels. The small, blue-eyed ball had a wide smile on his face, his cheeks smeared with the faded residue of orange paint.

"There you are!" Elena smiled at him as she briskly got the small, damp towel from the sink and squatted in level with Dylan. Her hand gently gripped his face as her other hand held the towel and tried clearing his cheeks from the paint. Elena couldn't help but stare into the boy's familiar blue eyes that made her hold her breath for a minute.

They were the same shade of mesmerizingly, beautiful cerulean. Although they were quite similar, Elena could seemingly differentiate the eyes that bore into hers a few years ago, to the eyes that stared at her with curiosity now. Dylan gave her a small, genuine smile and whispered, "You caught me, Ms. Elena. Nobody _ever_ caught me except for daddy."

And this made thoughts run to Elena's head, thoughts that made her smile. She imagined Damon and Dylan, father and son, running and wrestling each other, playing games. It was a smile-worthy thought. Elena stood up as she finished cleaning Dylan's cheeks. She rinsed out the paint that had been removed from the boy's face. She bent down to his level once again, and this time, cleaned his arms. "You're a tricky little thing too. Just like your father." The words slipped from her lips.

Dylan just smiled at her, as she gently removed the other paints stains on his arms. Elena tried as much as possible not to stare into the boy's eyes again. It made memories flood back to her mind once more. Memories that she thought was better off forgotten. She rubbed the cloth against his small arms in silence, but Dylan decided to break it. "Are you and daddy great friends?"

"Yes. We were." Elena answered, still trying not to make eye contact with him. A small smile crept to her lips as she went on with her façade, as if her past with Dylan's father and his uncle was not a photograph she had wished she had burnt.

"Then, why did you leave him?" Dylan's face turned serious now, and for a boy, he looked like he really wanted to know the truth.

Elena felt her heartbeat quicken with every question Dylan lets out. He may only be 6 years old, but his capacity to make women nervous could already be considered an all time high compared to his age; a genetic inheritance he might've gotten from his father as well, like most of his traits.

She took her time as she thought of the best possible answer to give to the boy. Elena had eventually finished cleaning his left arm, and had transferred to his right when she finally conjured up the right words to answer to him. "I didn't leave your daddy." She muttered lowly at first. "It's… _complicated_."

The boy's face remained unchanged when he heard her answer. He tilted his head and watched his teacher's face grow blanker and blanker as his questions begin to turn more and more difficult to answer. "What does conti – I mean, compi – I mean… That word you said." He began stuttering, not being able to repeat the word twice. "What does that mean?"

"Complicated." Elena repeated as she finished off clearing his arms from the paint. She stood up once more and then began washing the cloth clean as she answered Dylan's questions. "It means, something suddenly became hard, and you don't know what to do. You can't explain it because you know no one will understand." Elena said in a matter of fact, concentrating on the piece of cloth in her hands.

Dylan bit his lips and nodded. As soon as Elena finished washing the piece of cloth, she hung it near the open window and took the small hairbrush she brought with him and used it to fix Dylan's mess of a hair. She forced a smile on her face to reassure Dylan that what she was saying was the truth.

They were quiet for a while, and Elena had to admit, but she enjoyed the silence. She didn't like being on the hot seat, answering difficult questions from a 6-year-old boy. It wasn't comfortable, and she didn't like admitting that a kid could make her so nervous. She combed her fingers through the boy's hair, but she just can't seem to find the proper hairstyle for him. The best thing that she'd seen look good on him was the messy hair she'd seen him wear earlier this morning.

Elena was halfway through styling Dylan's hair, when the boy eventually broke the silence once more. "Did you miss daddy?" Dylan asked again. It was the hardest question he'd thrown her so far, and she was hoping that it'd be the last one for the whole school year.

She didn't know what she was going to say to the kid. If she answered yes, then the boy might say it to his father, and Damon might think otherwise. The truth was that Elena didn't want Damon getting the wrong idea about them. She wanted him to know that there'll never be anything more to them. She wanted him to know that she only cared for him as a friend, and nothing more.

But if she did answer no, what would Dylan think of her? Would Dylan hate her because she had refused to miss his father? Elena doesn't know what she was supposed to answer now. It was better if they just stayed clear of this question. So instead of answering it, Elena just gave the boy a low chuckle and shook her head.

"It's a secret." Elena winked as she whispered to Dylan, and that caught his attention. His eyes widened in curiosity for her answer. He wanted to know immediately, but there was no way that Elena would tell it to this kid.

Before Dylan could answer any more questions, Elena decided to beat him to it. Maybe he'd tell her something about how Damon and Stefan are doing, not that she was concerned about them. She just wanted to know how life has been for the two brothers. Elena had finished styling Dylan's hair, and when Elena was about to clean up the mess and the puddle on the floor, Dylan offered her his help, which gave her a chance to ask a couple questions of her own.

"So, Dylan, what's your mom's name?" Elena asked curiously, as she began mopping the floor. It had been an intriguing question after all. Just a few years ago, when she was dating Stefan, Damon had always brought home a different girl every other night. And now, Elena wondered how he had been able to settle down. His son was here, with her, helping her clean up the bathroom of her kindergarten classroom. How had it been possible? Who was the woman he'd come to love that would actually bring his a charming little boy of his own?

Dylan picked up the pieces of tissue on the floor and placed it in the trashcan. "Katherine. Katherine Pierce."

"Katherine?" Elena asked a little too loudly for Dylan not to be alarmed. The name, too, had a familiar ring in her mind. She was the beautiful woman _strangely_ resembling herself, whom Damon used to date. It seems like things _didn't_ end, if she turned out to be the mother of this boy. "Pierce? Not Katherine Salvatore? Why not?"

"Because mommy and daddy don't like each other very much." And Elena's heart dropped at the sadness of the news. "Daddy even told me that mommy was going to be gone for a long time, and that she wouldn't be back soon." Dylan whispered, completely unaffected by his own grieving story of a broken family.

"Why don't you seem sad about it?"

"Mommy doesn't like me very much too." He added. "Daddy told me that it was best if I forget about her."

The boy has been introduced too grievances at an early age, being insisted to forget about his own mother. Elena frowned at this. She paused at mopping the floor and stared at Dylan for a long time. He was helping her clean the floor with a floor rug. His hair was messy and they stuck out all over his head. Elena returned the mop in its proper place and she knelt down in level with Dylan's face again.

Elena felt the need to be this boy's safe harbor. He had no mom. She cupped his cheeks in her hands and gave him a smile. "It's alright, Dylan." Elena said, comfortingly stroking her thumb repeatedly on his cheek. "I'd be proud to be your _other_ mommy here in school. Remember that."

Dylan's eyes lightened up. A smile reached his lips, and happiness printed across his angelic face. In one swift move, Dylan stretched his arms out and pulled his teacher into a tight embrace. Elena was caught in surprise when the boy's thin arms constricted around her. She felt warm under his hug. She took in one deep breath and placed her arms around Dylan as well.

"Thanks, Ms. Elena." Dylan whispered in a voice so soft, Elena could barely make the words out. It was her heart that decoded the gratitude. She pulled away from the embrace and placed a soft kiss on the boy's forehead.

"You're welcome, Dylan."

.

.

.

The school bell rang and it was eventually half past eleven. Elena didn't know how on earth to feel? She was really exhausted. She woke up at 5:30 in the morning, prepared everything she had to. She dealt with 15 children, noisy and fun and all. She cleaned every single one of them, as they were all smeared with different shades of paint. She had also found out a recently shocking discovery.

But, regardless of those happenings, she was still as happy as ever. She had met her first class today. It had been a wonderful time. She had the chance to chase them around the classroom, and play monster. She cleaned them up and had gotten to know each of them more. And now, she watched them leave the classroom one by one in a straight line.

She saw their heads disappear out to the double doors at the entrance of the building. Elena remained just by the door of her classroom as she saw the final head leave. She took one long breath and closed her eyes. _This is _awesome_._

Elena walked back inside the room with a wide smile on her face. She felt like dancing. It was one of the best things that could happen in her life. Everything seemed perfect. She had handled her first class, although there had been one rough patch she had gone through today.

She sat down on the chair before her desk and began fixing her things scattered on top. The folder filled with stickers, the class attendance sheet, her inkpad and her small rubber stamps. As she finished clearing the pile, she saw one thing she had almost forgotten: The half-open blue box that her student's _daddy_ had used her son to deliver to her.

Her eyes lingered on the object for a moment. Elena wondered if eating one piece would hurt. It was a gift from a person in her past she hadn't planned to meet again. Her arm slowly extended to reach the box in front of her and she placed it in her hands, staring at the five remaining pieces of chocolate inside.

She hesitantly took one in her fingers and placed it between her lips, inhaling the sweet aroma of the piece of candy. She opened her mouth slightly and took one small nibble from the chocolate. At first, it'd seem like she'd spit it all out. But as her tongue absorbed the mouthwatering goodness of the delight in her fingers, she tossed the whole bonbon in her mouth. Next thing you know, the box was empty, and her lips were half smeared with chocolates; her teeth too.

Elena wasn't a huge fan of chocolates, but the ones given to her as a present were quite temptingly delicious. Maybe that was the reason why the children acted as if they were under the influence of marijuana: hypnotized. She grabbed her purse and took out her handkerchief, removing the residue of the chocolate on her lips. She could still taste the familiar sweetness of the chocolates. Elena desired for more.

She took the box in her hands and stood up, heading for the trashcan, when she suddenly realized that there was a small piece of paper sticking out from inside of the box. It was a crème-colored post-it with spots of chocolate dotted on the edges. It was hidden beneath all the sweets inside.

She stood there with the box in her hands. She grabbed the note and read it aloud, her eyes travelling across the piece of paper with a familiar handwriting printed on it.

_It's been a long time since I've last seen you, Elena._

_Oh, how I've missed you._

_I'm hoping to see you soon.  
>We have a <em>lot_ of catching up to do ;)_

_D.S._

A wave of chills ran up and down Elena's spine as she read the note. She felt her hands become clammy and slippery, as the piece of paper fell from her hands and landed on the floor gently. She stared at nothing for a while, her eyes blank with surprise. She felt like as if she was in a horror movie, wherein some psychopathic, serial killer stalks her and watches her with his feral eyes. She could already imagine the smirk playing on his lips.

Elena ran to her desk and gathered all of her stuff. She ran to the class door, leaving the note given to her on the floor. She couldn't think straight, not checking what she had to remember and what she has forgotten. All there was on her mind was that she needed to think of something to say if ever Damon comes to visit her. She wasn't prepared at all to face him. Not yet, anyway.

_What am I supposed to say? Hey Damon, I don't want to talk to you yet. Could you please not be all up in my face for as long as your son is my student? _No, that would be too rude. She had no proper reason to even say that to his face. It was immature to mention that in the first place. It was the past, and the past should be forgotten. But it really is hard to forget something that had scarred her heart and her mind forever.

_Damon. Yeah, this is kinda awkward. I don't know what I'm supposed to say. Hey, I'm glad to see that you and Katherine make up a perfect genetic combination when it comes to offspring. It's a shame that things didn't work out._ And mentioning that would be a little too weird.

Things weren't supposed to be this difficult. It was just Damon, and the last time she'd seen him was more or less 6 years ago. Maybe he's changed. People change, and maybe that was the reason why he'd decided to father a kid; because of the fact that he's finally mentally and spiritually prepared to do so.

But he'd been immature at that time, and he'd already been 20 then. Elena knew Damon. He was the man who had provoked his younger brother for as frequently as he can, just because he felt like it. He was the man who threw fistfights and incredible college parties every Friday night. He was the man who brought different women home _just_ to make Elena uncomfortable whenever she came to visit Stefan in the boarding house. And who could ever forget that Damon was the man who could ever point a knife at his own brother just because he was unstable with his emotions, and had been drunk at the same time? _That was Damon Salvatore_. And those were the reasons she had in her mind that made things rational enough for her to break all connections with the brothers.

Elena was already halfway down the corridor; her hand had already grabbed the knob. And when she pushed one of the double doors open, she saw familiar green eyes with softness to them, greet her from the other side of the door. Elena jumped in surprise when Caroline's exceptionally joyous eyes met her.

"So, how was the first day?" Caroline asked her, her lips tied up into a wide smile.

Elena still tried composing herself. She had brisk walked so fast down the corridor that she almost lost her breath doing so. Her hard-to-keep-up speed, mixed with her unavoidable thoughts about the note she had read a few minutes ago, wasn't such a very good combination. She tucked a strand of her hair that fell from the side of her face from her disarranged bun to behind her ear, and breathed deeply.

"It was good." But Caroline knew better than to accept such an answer. She placed her hands on her waist and raised one perfectly plucked blond eyebrow up as she mentally told Elena how she's not going to take such a shallow response.

When Elena had refused to take a hint, Caroline grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the building. She dragged her along the corridor and back to the Teacher's Lounge where pushed her down to sit on the sofa. Caroline sat on the empty seat next to her, tucked her leg behind the other, and placed a finger to her chin.

"Now, please, broaden your answer." She asked her with a sickening tone of sweetness to her voice.

Elena explained everything that she knew Caroline had wanted to hear. She told her how she had gotten to know all of her students for the day. She had told her how she brought them to the playroom, and when she left them for a while, they'd messed the whole room up. She had told her how she cleaned up every single one of them. She had told her how exhausted she was from all the work. And she had also told her how things ended up quite well for her first day.

When Elena finished her story, Caroline just stared at her with a small smile playing on her lips. But she wondered why the smile had not reached the woman's eyes. As they sat in silence for a couple of minutes, it had given Elena a moment to think once more on what she had left out from her stories.

She had left out the part where she met a charming young student. She had left out the part where that young student, named Dylan, gave her a blue box filled with chocolates. She had left out the part where she had become attached to the young boy. She had left out the part that the boy's father was his ex-boyfriend's brother. And last but not the least, she had left out the part wherein she had freaked out because of a tiny letter that had settled in the box that said _'we have a lot to catch up on'_ with wink emoticon.

"Cut the chit chat and tell me the thing you've been itching to tell someone since you've finished your summary for the day." Caroline answered back a little too straightforwardly. Somehow, despite all the holes Elena left out in the story, Caroline could see right through her. She knew that Elena was keeping something from her. Elena didn't know if she was supposed to tell Caroline the things she's left out. She hadn't even known the girl for that long. How could she know that she could trust her?

But as Elena looked into the girl's eyes, she knew that she was worth trusting, and that she wouldn't spill a secret, not even a tiny drop. Elena let her eyes close for a while. She tried to relax as she tried thinking of a less creepy way to explain the things that had happened to her a while back. When she opened her eyes, her lips had already begun moving and making out words.

"I have a student who's the son of my ex-boyfriend's older brother whom I've been avoiding for the past 6 years." Elena let out in one whole sentence, and when she let out those words, Caroline was awestruck. Her jaw was left wide open, her eyes were blank, and her brows were furrowed.

"No kid? What's the boy's name? What's your ex's name? What's his brother's name? Why have you been avoiding him?" Caroline asked all four questions at once. Maybe the shock had made her become intrigued with the story, not knowing which question to ask first.

Elena didn't know what to answer first, so she just decided to answer them all together too. "The boy's name is Dylan Salvatore."

"Salvatore?" Caroline repeated. "As in… _Stefan_ Salvatore?"

Elena was surprised that Caroline knew her ex's name. She couldn't even answer her question, whether or not the Salvatore Caroline's been describing is related to Stefan. _Wait_, it made Elena think. _How could this girl know Stefan? Are they friends? Are they together?_ "You know him?"

"Yeah." Caroline answered; her face was still printed of pure curiosity. They both wanted to ask each other their questions. How could Elena know Stefan? How could Caroline know Stefan? Do they both know Damon? "You're _the_ Elena? _The _Elena Stefan had dated?" Caroline added.

Elena nodded again, uncomprehending. "Wait, how do you know Stefan?"

"Stefan's like… my _best _friend."

"Oh really? Oh My goodness, since when?"

"Since 5 years ago, before I even became a teacher." They began exchanging questions like bullets during a duel. The questions were sharp and quick. Now, they had stopped. They paused, staring at each other with wide eyes. It was like two people meeting for the first time with the very same personality, hobbies and favorites. It was like meeting a long lost sister. It was like discovering the truth for the first time. They were both very excited, yet at the same time, very surprised.

"So that must mean, if you know Stefan, you must know his dick of a brother…" Elena muttered under her breath, and then she paused when she led to another name to be mentioned in their conversation.

The both of them had frozen in their seats, just staring at each other. They both had different thoughts in their minds. Elena was relieved. She had finally met someone who could help her with her miniature-growing crisis regarding meeting the older Salvatore brother within her first year as a teacher. She could finally conjure up the right words to say to Damon when they finally meet each other after a very long time. Caroline, on the other hand, was intrigued by the new friend she had met; someone she could talk to who could actually relate with her juicy gossips about the brothers. It wouldn't be such a long school year in the Teacher's Lounge after all.

They leaned closer to each other as they whispered the name in chorus. They both felt another billow of chills graze over the back of their necks. "_Damon._"

.

.

.


	4. Chapter 3: His Absence and Her Stories

**Chapter 3**: His Absence and Her Stories

.

.

.

D_amon_. It was one word that surmised everything they had thought of, and everything that they _will_ be talking about for the next few times they get the chance to exchange conversations. It was a name that made nerve-racking chills brush against the nape of Elena's necks. It was a name she had sworn she would have nothing to do with anymore. It was a name that echoed a familiar tune in her head that had made images appear in her mind like a montage of videos.

Elena could imagine the tousled, coal black hair that rolled like waves with the wind on the top of his head; the smoldering cyan, blue eyes that could make you melt in a single glance; the devilish and mischievous smirk that had always tugged along the corners of his lips; the leather, black jacket that had loosely hugged his perfectly shaped arms. And of course, who could ever forget the loud reverberating of his mocking chuckles.

Elena and Caroline remained still for a moment. Elena's back had strained and remained straight as her eyes bore into Caroline's green ones, sending silent, mental messages with each other by secret telepathy. They didn't need to be psychic to know what each other was thinking. It was imprinted all over their faces, how they reacted to the sudden change of topic.

"Oh My Goodness," Caroline muttered so low under her breath that Elena hadn't heard what she had said, but she didn't need a vocal aid to know what the other girl was thinking. They understood each other perfectly clear, even without the words. It was this topic that had made an invisible connection between them. "I still couldn't absorb the fact that you know the Salvatore Brothers as well."

"Well, that makes two of us." Elena replied, still fluttering her lashes repeatedly, flabbergasted at the news. The memory she was pretty sure she had already let pass her had come back to haunt her once more. She wasn't even sure how that could've happened. It was completely andutterly impossible, yet the facts were staring her right in the face. She took long, deep breaths repeatedly as Caroline carried on with their surprising conversation.

"6 years, huh?" Caroline asked as she tried to break the silence. "So, you haven't seen any of the Salvatores for 6 years?" She added as a look of perplexity mixed with a tint of troublesomeness hid beneath her eyes. "How could you have avoided them for that long? If I knew any better, Stefan was a 'can't-let-go'-er and Damon was a 'stalk-until'-they-get-creeped-out'-er. How'd you do it?"

A small smile tugged on the corners of Elena's lips. She herself had even wondered how she could've gotten away from the Salvatore's grasp without them having to follow her like two lost puppies. She, in fact, knew very well how good they were at handcuffing people to their lives that would make cutting all connections very difficult; but somehow, she had done it.

All it took was a perfectly written speech in a blank piece of paper that had stated everything that she had wanted to say to the brothers, whether soft or harsh. It had clearly indicated that she didn't want to have to do anything with them anymore, and it was only because she had thought that she was ruining a perfectly good, brotherly relationship between the two men, and she wasn't selfish enough to _not_ even consider that little misconception.

Elena let her eyes slowly drift to close, and that separated her from the girl like a barrier, but she had instantly opened them and answered her question appropriately. "It was simple. As soon as I gave them my 'it's-over-don't-follow-me-speech', I moved back to my parent's house and tried reconstructing my life there again. It was my safe harbor, and I was safe there from anyone whom I didn't want to talk with." Elena whispered, letting her eyes wander off as she reminisced about how glorious it was to live in the past, when she was with her parents and everything was easy.

"I stayed there till' I was able to support myself on my own with a job, a car, and even an apartment. Of course, it was a long-term goal, but I eventually got it around." Her smile widened at the mention of those words. It was her definition of independence; having every necessity needed without having to beg for the money. It was Elena's own sweat and blood she had put into her belongings, and she was very proud of it.

But then, a small thought crept from the back of her mind to the center of her brain, that had just screamed out that it wanted to be said aloud, so she automatically did: "And, I've got to admit it but," She paused and let the wonderful thought linger on her mind before mentioning it to Caroline out loud. "Life has been easier with the Salvatores out of the way." A small, self-glorifying chuckle escaped from between her pink lips as she laughed at her own silly thought. "They were a distraction and I don't think distractions are necessary items needed for the pathway to success so…" Elena shrugged and sighed aloud. "That must be it."

Caroline's high-pitched chuckles followed after hers. She agreed to her theory. Things may _be_ a little easier with the Salvatores out of the way. They were two, big, balls of fun that could suck the life out of you if you don't know how to balance your time with them. She'd learned that from her experiences of hanging out with Stefan all night and not being able to work properly in the morning. But like they say: _Work Hard. Party Harder._ And Caroline's nights out with her best friend were one of the best things she could ever want at the end of a stressful week. Caroline would've agreed that the Salvatores were stressful, but she knew for a fact that her best friend was a huge exception.

Elena watched Caroline nod absentmindedly, staring at her hands folded properly across her lap. Elena cleared her throat and bit her lip. That was a sign; a significant sign that she _wanted_ something but was too embarrassed to ask for it. So she waited. Eventually, Caroline stopped nodding her head and had stared at Elena, whose eyes were on hers like a dart aimed on the bull's eye of a dartboard. Caroline just stared back, wide-eyed. And that was when Elena finally had the courage to muster up the question on the tip of her tongue.

"So…" She paused. She was still thinking of the right words to say to make it look like the question she was going to ask was casual, and not 'need-to-know' worthy. "Since you've been hanging out with the Salvatores for the past 5 years, while I've been avoiding them… I've been wondering " But Caroline knew better. She had already heard the same stutters and the same hanging questions with extremely long pauses to _not_ know how to even answer this question. She had already predicted of this happening. She just didn't know that it'd be happening now.

"Oh no." Caroline interrupted, shaking her head from side to side. "I am _not_ going to tell you anymore information about what had happened with the Salvatores." And hearing this immediate statement had Elena off guard. Her mouth was left hanging wide open. She didn't know that Caroline would be sensitive about this. From the looks of her first impression on the blond, she thought that she was really someone whom anyone could get along within a snap of a finger, but she was wrong. She _was_ uptight in some other kind of way, too. This was what Elena thought about Caroline now, until' a mischievous smile erupted from her lips and her eyebrows rose incredibly high. "Not _yet_, anyway."

Elena had wanted to ask why, but the whiplash of the sudden counteracting and flabbergasting sets of words that Caroline had been flinging to her had affected her as much. Her eyes still remained wide as her chocolate brown eyes watched the playfulness she had found in Caroline's green ones. And just as if Caroline had heard Elena's mental question, she had added an answer just as quick. "It's going to be a _long_ year, Ms. Gilbert. We wouldn't want to run out of proper conversations, would we?" Caroline asked rhetorically, and all Elena was able to do was to nod her head, immediately shutting her jaws closed.

"Good." Caroline smiled as she hopped off Elena's desk and began walking to her own, leaving different questions unanswered in Elena's mind.

_I guess things would just have to wait_.

.

.

.

Evening passed and morning came, it was Elena's second day as an _official_ educator.

She had done her usual morning rituals and had already arrived school. But she couldn't avoid the thoughts in her head that made her mind wander to the different questions Caroline had left hanging inside her brain. She had left a huge cliffhanger in Elena's mind and it was because of all the weird conversations and revelations they had yesterday.

Elena was _dying_ to know more about what happened, although there was some huge part of her that had a bad feeling about this whole experience. Just like the part in her that had wanted to figure out every single, missing piece there was to this story, there was also the part in her that had wanted those information to remain _unknown_. I mean, would she even care? If this meant as little to her as what happened between her and the brothers in the past, why had she wanted to know what had been going on now, in the present?

Everything in the past is insignificant. We shall not reminisce about it. We shall not even try to remember it. Just as all of the other thoughts compiled in her mind, this one thought reminded her of a quote she knew: _Past is past. Time will heal all wounds_. Dramatic, isn't it? Well, that was what Elena was thinking starting from the moment Caroline told her that she was going to tell her more as the time progressed. But, of course, she would have to wait for each day to pass, when dismissal time arrives and all the students would be out. _It's going to be a long wait_, she thought.

And concrete proof had just made that statement true.

It was a Tuesday, the second day of the school year, when she figured out, as she checked her class' attendance, that one of her students was absent. And that wasn't just _any_ student. It was one student she had favored the most; not because of his charm, or who his father was. But because of the striking spark in his little, blue eyes that made him so damn precious, according to her heart.

Dylan Salvatore's seat, from the farthest chair in the middle column, was empty. No books, no bag, no blue-eyed boy. And there was a little 'broken-glass' noise she heard at the back of her mind, that almost sounded like her own heart breaking. In some way, she felt like she was tethered to this kid. But, wasn't that weird? Elena had only met him once, and that was yesterday. How could she feel like she had a connection with that 6-year-old boy?

A small pout came upon her face when she had confirmed to the class that one of their classmates was absent. They, too, were saddened, but Elena thought that no one could be as brought down as she was.

The day dragged along as she taught the students different things, specifically math and reading. Of course, she gave them a recap on how to count first from one to ten. Then, she had also reminded them of the alphabet, and how to draw the capital and the small letters. They'd also played a game of tag in the playroom with Elena. It was _definitely_ a long day. It even felt like the whole school session took about 8 hours long, when in fact, it only goes on for 3 hours.

As soon as 11:30 struck, the school bells' ringing echoed throughout the school and just like the day before, all the children went out of the room, running, after greeting Elena their last goodbyes for the day: _'Goodbye and Thank You, Ms. Gilbert.'_ She had kept a proud smile on her face as she watched them all disappear out of the school's doors once more. She eventually made her way back to the Teacher's Lounge and saw Caroline sitting on the small couch that lay in the middle of the room.

Her pale hand had loosely held the remote control and she was flipping the channels. But then, she paused for a moment and turned her head to look at Elena. An overly excited smile formed on her lips as Elena made her way through the room and sat beside Caroline on the couch. Elena was ready to hear the story, but her excitement had faded when Caroline brought up a different topic instead of the one she had wanted to hear.

Elena was never the one to lead a conversation unless it was needed, but she wondered if this one would be an exception. It seemed like what they were talking about wasn't appealing to her as much as the topic she'd _wanted_ for them to discuss about. The topic she couldn't keep her mind from since the moment Caroline mentioned it to her. It was what kept her from sleeping at her usual bedtime hour at 10 o'clock in the evening. It was what kept her tossing and turning around the bed for. It was what she wanted to talk about the whole time and not public knowledge about Caroline.

But, she guessed that it would be quite rude to think of that. The girl she was talking to right now was someone who openly welcomed her into this school. That girl made her comfortable and provided her of easy subjects they could converse about. It would probably be best if they knew each other quite well before they go up to that stuff, so she just listened.

"So, my favorite color is pink and green. I love listening to either 'Panic at the Disco' or Paramore. I like going out on Friday nights to let loose and try to get away from everything that had happened in a stressful week. I love hanging out with friends, watching movies, going out clubbing. And, for me, the perfect date would be watching the sunset on a bay-side dinner view, and lots of cuddling afterwards…" Caroline dragged on and on about public knowledge she thought Elena would be interested in. It was as if she really _was_ intentionally avoiding the topic of the Salvatores.

Elena just kept on nodding and smiling. Sometimes she'd say that they'd have stuff in common, so that Caroline wouldn't think that she was zoning off every time she speaks. But as usual, Caroline always knows better.

She shook her head and her wide smile went down a notch and turned into just a thin line on her lips. She knew that Elena wasn't interested in that stuff. She could see it in her face. Her eyes were blank, and her lips were stretched out in a forced smile. Caroline's back fell flat on the couch and she closed her eyes. "I'm sorry if these things don't appeal that much to you." She whispered to Elena apologetically, knowing that she must've blabbered off too much, like she usually does. "I know that this isn't what you wanted to hear."

Elena felt bad after hearing what Caroline had said. "No, it's not that, it's just…" And then she paused. It was the truth. She wasn't really that interested in Caroline's life story, but she really did feel bad for thinking of the things that she _was_ thinking. Her brows furrowed and her lips formed into a straight line too. Her eyes fell to her hands that lay casually on her lap and she muttered two words she wasn't even sure would make things better: "I'm sorry."

And then, there was an awkward silence.

The silence fell upon them for what almost seemed like an hour. They kept still. Elena's eyes still lay on her hands, regretful of what she'd done, and Caroline's still remained closed. The blond-girl sighed, her head still on the cushion on the couch, when she'd decided to break another awful silence once more.

"Stefan couldn't move on from you." Caroline muttered, her eyes still closed, absorbing the light of the florescent bulb that hung above the ceiling. She had said this in a calm manner, although this news made Elena's mouth drop wide open. "He was still brooding; yearning for the past to stay as it was." She added.

Elena never knew that information. I mean, she _hardly_ even knew anything since she decided to delete them from her life, as if she'd never met them. Elena wasn't bitter. She knew that and she had kept repeating that same statement to herself for years. She had _loved_ Stefan, but things had gotten out of hand. She wasn't selfish. She only did what she thought was right.

"One night, I believe it was a Thursday. I walked into a small town bar. I wanted a drink for some unknown reason. Then, I saw this really good-looking guy who can't seem to have more than one shot of tequila. I could see he was problematic, and I offered to buy him a drink. He told me how he doesn't drink and how he was trying to." Caroline added, a smirk spreading on her lips. "It made me laugh. I told him that one more drink wouldn't hurt and that it'd make all of his problems disappear in the morning." And then her smile faded away. "But he told me that it wasn't that easy letting go of someone."

"I felt sorry for him, actually. He was alone in the bar, and it was 10 in the evening. We talked that night over non-alcoholic drinks. I wanted to keep sober if I was to comfort someone with a broken heart…" And then she paused. Caroline took one deep breath and then her eyes shot wide open. They were blank. She turned her head to face Elena, whose face was unimaginable. Caroline's eyes were soft, and they looked dreamy as she reminisced of the happenings in the past. "And that was all we did that night. We just talked."

"Eventually, I figured out his name was Stefan Salvatore and that he was pining over some girl he'd loved so much that he'd never thought that things would end between them. He also told me the reason why they broke up: Because of his lousy, selfish, no-hearted brother, _Damon_." Caroline continued her low monologue with a sarcastic smile on her lips when she'd finished her statement with a name she knew they both had hated.

"And then, one night out turned into weeks; weeks turned into months, and before you even know it… We were in love." Caroline whispered, a small smile on her lips, her eyes avoiding Elena's, and her heart fluttering like an average schoolgirl's. Elena saw the happiness in her voice. _So she _had_ dated Stefan. He was able to move on after all._ The same smile on Caroline's lips fell upon Elena's lips too as they fantasized of a happy ever after together.

"But like most love stories, things just don't end up as you thought it would be. Stefan and I began falling apart. We didn't have a _spark_. There was no fire, no passion. There was nothing but blackness. We tried working it out for 2 months, but still, there was nothing." Elena watched as Caroline explained, her eyes never meeting Elena's. "We figured that we had much more of a spark as friends than as lovers. So, we decided to stay as best friends." And that was the only time Caroline met her eyes throughout the entire conversation. "And that may be one of the greatest decisions we could've ever made in our relationship."

And another period of silence fell among them, but it wasn't awkward anymore. Elena knew a couple of interesting stuff now, and Caroline was only best friends with her ex-boyfriend. At least they knew something about each other now. It was all they needed for the day, and it was all they needed to talk about. Other things would come up in time. Nobody needed to rush. At least now, Elena found out one thing. And that was one puzzle piece down, a couple more to go.

.

.

.

The days passed as the week had come to a Thursday. It was her 4th day as a teacher and when she arrived at school, she'd found out that Dylan was still absent. This time, her worry had gotten to the next level. Of course, this was her first year as a teacher. How could she _not_ be concerned about her students? Dylan was absent for three consecutive days, and she didn't know the reason why. Not even a call from their home, or from the child's _maybe_ careless and irresponsible father.

As soon as the school bell rang for recess and the class had their snack inside the classroom, Elena took out her class records and her phone and exited the room. She walked slowly to the playroom and closed the door behind her. The room which had seemed to be the noisiest of all the rooms sounded quite silent now as all the students was busy in their respective classrooms.

Elena sat down on one of the toy chairs and laid her class records across the empty, pink, plastic desk. She opened it to the page that contained the students' information and she pointed one finger to locate Dylan Salvatore's name. When she found it, she looked at the contact number available written in her most famous and clear handwriting.

Without having a second thought, Elena took her phone out and dialed the number on her records without a second thought. Her student's welfare was far more important than her past relationships with the child's father who might be the one to answer her phone call to their home.

She heard the other line ring. She sat on the small, plastic chair with her cheek on her palm as she waited for someone to answer on the other line. _Ring! Ring! Ring!_ It rang for over seven times already, and still no one had answered the phone. When she was about to abort the call with a press of a button, someone immediately answered.

"Good Morning. This is the Salvatore Boarding House. To whom do I speak with?" A woman with a hoarse voice had answered from the other line. Elena had heard the affects of age echoing from her voice, so she figured that she mustn't have been Damon's present girl.

Elena cleared her throat and straightened her back in an attempt to make herself sound more professional. "Hello. Good Morning. Um, I'm Ms. Elena Gilbert, Dylan's Pre-School Teacher. I was wondering if Mr. Damon Salvatore, or any available guardian, was there for me to talk with." She said, clearing out the phrase _'or any available guardian'_, because she was pretty sure she still wasn't prepared to face Damon's witty remarks.

And then there was a long pause. The woman on the other line hadn't said anything. And when Elena's eyes fell upon the wall clock that hung on one side of the room, she saw that five minutes had already passed and somehow, this woman was wasting her minutes on the phone. Elena became irritated, but she decided to calm down because losing her temper over the phone was never such a very good idea. "Hello?" She called out again, and eventually, the woman answered back.

"Mr. Salvatore is currently unavailable at the moment. Can I take a message?" And a sigh escaped from Elena's lips. A sigh of relief, that is. She could repeat it to herself over and over again that she still wasn't ready to face Damon personally, or through the phone. She still wanted to make sure that Damon had changed, and had not remained the same lout he used to be over the years.

"Um, sure. I just wanted to ask why Dylan was absent. He's been missing much of school lately, and I was worried. Nobody called me to let me know the reason why, and it's been three days, so I was wondering if I could know."

"Sir Salvatore's son has been sick with the flu. He's been recovering lately." The woman replied. Elena made a face on the phone. What was up with the honorific beside Damon's name? Damon wasn't a respectable person. He was _beyond_ unrespectable, if that even made sense. He didn't deserve to be called as sir. Elena rolled her eyes and tried pushing those thoughts away from her mind.

"Oh, alright." Elena muttered under her breath. "That is all I have to say. Could I get your name, just in case I am need of anything else?" She asked in a soft voice.

"Pearl. I am the Salvatore Boarding House's housekeeper. I will deliver your message for as soon as I can, Ms. Gilbert."

"Thank you." And those were Elena's last words to Pearl, as the woman had said, before the phone went dead. She grabbed her records that lay on top of the table and began exiting the peaceful playroom. She tried shaking the thoughts off her mind as she made her way back to the classroom.

The day dragged along like the past two days she had. After school, she did her usual routine of going to the Teacher's Lounge, and maybe spending an hour or two there with Caroline. They talked about countless subjects. But Elena just couldn't keep her mind off the absence of one of her students. The worry was written all over her face, and Caroline could see that something had bothered her.

"What's wrong, 'Lena?" Caroline asked, conjuring up two mugs of coffee; one for her, and one for Elena. Elena walked to the couch where they usually sat down, and plopped herself, laying her head on one armrest, and letting her feet hang loosely on the other. She placed an arm over her eyes to block the blinding rays of the white light.

"Dylan's been absent for three days straight. He's missing out a lot." Elena muttered lazily, her feet swaying back and forth over the armrest. "And I just called their house. Damon didn't pick up. His housekeeper, Pearl, did. And she kept on calling him 'Sir', which was quite _irrelevant_." She added, scoffing irritably.

"Really? Pearl's still working for him?" Caroline asked with a tone of surprise in her voice. "That is _so_ weird. Pearl's been telling me about how his boss was such an _ass_, and how much she didn't want to work for him anymore." Caroline said, for a matter of fact. "I couldn't disagree with her. She was right. Damon _is_ an ass."

"Wait," Elena interrupted, removing her arm from her eyes and sitting up properly, her eyes watching Caroline, whose back was to her as she was making the two of them coffee. "You've _met_ Pearl? You've been in their house?"

"Of course." Caroline said as she stirred the coffee under her hands. "I'm Stef's best friend, remember?" And a smile fell upon Elena's lips when she heard the nickname Caroline had dubbed Stefan. He'd always hated it when Damon had called him Stef whenever Elena was present, but when it came to name calling with his best friend, it was probably all right for him to be called that cute puppy name by Caroline.

"Oh, and wait," Elena interrupted again. "One more thing," She asked, lifting a finger up. "I couldn't seem but wonder… How did Dylan even _come to be_?" She asked curiously. Yes, it was a tough problem she couldn't figure out on her own. Thoughts came running back to her mind as she began remembering all the questions she had formed in her mind a couple of days ago. If Elena had known Stefan and Damon at age 16, and had broken all communications with them at 18, which was 5 years ago, how could she _not_ know about Dylan, who was apparently 6 years old?

Caroline shrugged her shoulders as she turned her head to look back at Elena's confused expression. "I don't know." She said in one quick movement of her lips. "I haven't really asked. Stef kinda mentioned it to me once, but I kind of also forgot. I think it was because of this girl who had an _'accident'_ with Damon one night and decided to keep the child hidden for a year. Then, she ended up leaving the one-year-old kid on the Salvatore House's door. I don't know what kind of heartless slut would do that to such a cute baby." Caroline added. "I don't know. I haven't really got the facts clear."

Elena nodded as she watched Caroline finish of making the coffee. She was right. Things _were_ unclear. She had wanted to ask someone about what had happened to this kid, but wherever could she get the information except for the kid's _father_ himself? Elena decided to forget about those thoughts and just focus on other things.

Caroline grabbed the coffee mugs and began working her way toward the couch where Elena was. She placed the mugs filled with coffee on the small coffee table that stood between the couch and the small TV. She positioned herself on the couch and turned to face Elena. "So, how about you tell me a little bit more about your adventures with the Salvatore brothers." A playful tone echoed in her voice.

Elena stared at her and wondered how she'd start the story about what had happened 7 years ago, when she met the Salvatores for the first time. "When I was in the verge of my teenage years, a.k.a. 14 to 16, I was partying and partying as if there was no tomorrow. I was someone who didn't take life seriously and just wanted to have fun." Elena said as her eyes filled with the spark of excitement as she told her own story. "It was the most fun phase in my life. Although, I hadn't realized that my life was going down."

"I was homeschooled, and I tried to sleep with my teacher. Drugs took over my life. Everything was a mess. And I was just 16 then. My parents prayed for me. My mom told me that I should turn my life around if I wanted things to go better. So, I took her advice."

"Eventually, I wanted to continue my dream, which was, as you know, is to become a teacher. So, I decided to go to college. My teacher _favored_ me in some way, so he decided to give me my diploma early." Elena whispered, a mischievous smile pulling up the corners of her lips. "I went to college and I was a great student. My teachers loved me, unlike the way my home school teacher _loved_ me. And in one of my classes, I met this handsome man named, you guessed it, Stefan."

"As you know, Stefan is a smartass. He was really into concentrating on his studies, just as I was. It all started with a healthy competition during classes: whoever gets to answer more questions first gets to be the better student. Then, the healthy competition turned into a lethal competition. Death glares were passed and our competitiveness was getting out of hand." The smile lingered on Elena's lips. "I beat him, eventually, at the end of a semester. And he liked the way someone had finally beat his streak. So, he asked me out. I gladly obliged."

"And like what happened between you and Stef, a date turned into more than one get together. And then, he asked me if we could be official. I told him, yes. It was the best thing that had happened to us. It was the most perfect relationship ever "

"Then, why did it end?" Caroline interrupted Elena before she could finish. Elena hadn't realized that her coffee had run out, and that she was chugging it straight away. Elena placed her empty mug on the coffee table, and let out a deep sigh.

"Because I eventually met Damon." Elena paused and she felt the wind shift. Everything fell silent again. Elena was filled with rage as she reminisced about what had happened in the past that she'd tried so hard to forget. And she had. But now, she had to remember it once more for her to tell her story to Caroline.

"I just thought that Damon was another arrogant guy, like the other guys there are in this world. I mean, he looked good, he had the tousled, black hair, the mesmerizing, blue eyes, the bad boy smirk; _everything._ But I figured as time went on," Elena clenched her fists and she felt her jaw tighten in frustration. "He was worse."

"He just didn't purposely interrupt Stefan and I's nights together, but when he got in the mood, he threw the biggest and wildest parties inside the Salvatore Boarding house, and that often left Stef and me to clean up after his mess. It was like cleaning up after a 20-year-old child. It was the worst experience you could ever have." Elena whispered, and then she paused before continuing any further.

"But then, I eventually figured out that he was in love with me. Stefan told me the truth. I hadn't even noticed it. He was a good-looking man that brought home a different girl every other night. They slept with him and I could hear their lustrous, love making from the other room." Elena rolled her eyes in total disgust as the sounds she had heard then had come back flooding through her ears again. "I never thought that he was in love with me." She repeated.

Caroline felt her anger as she explained, and she just felt bad that Elena had to go through those things when she was with Stef. Caroline placed a hand on Elena's shoulder and tried comforting her. "I'm sorry." She muttered under her breath, as she began stroking Elena's arm. "But, that's how Damon _really_ is. There must've been something he'd done that was much worse than that."

And when Elena heard those words, her face shot up to face Caroline's questioning expression. Her face was pale, her eyes were blank, and her lips were formed into one straight line. Elena could feel her hands shaking in total fury. She didn't want to get to this point; the point where she had to remember everything that she hadn't considered as a part of her life anymore.

Caroline removed her hand from Elena's shoulder as she saw the crazed expression on Elena's face.

"Damon was drunk." It was the one phrase that erupted from within Elena's lips that had surmised everything that she could ever tell Caroline. "Damon was _freaking_ drunk. And you _do_ know what happens when Damon gets drunk, right? He gets unstable and _very_ emotional. Somehow, he caught Stefan and I having a moment of our own, and he got upset. Damon plus upset equals a very bad evening."

And that was the moment when Elena didn't want to continue anymore. It was too damn upsetting. She didn't want to recall those horrible memories again. They were the worst. Elena shook her head to rid of all the thoughts that filled her mind. She crossed her arms over her chest and began unclenching her fists. She wanted to relax. She didn't need any of these stressful thoughts. They were bringing her down.

Elena laid her back on the couch and crossed her legs. "Long story short, Damon turns into a psychopathic serial killer with a knife when he gets upset over things, _especially_ when he gets jealous. I could still feel the cold steel of the knife that had scarred my left arm. I could never imagine that jealousy could make a person snap and turn into a monster." She muttered under her breath, before continuing with a different tone in her voice. _"And that was as far as I could go."_

Caroline was left flabbergasted when she had heard Elena's story. It was one of the worst things she could've ever heard Damon do. Damon had struck a knife at someone for the sake of jealousy. She knew that Damon was low, but she didn't know that he would go lower than low.

Elena just stared at the shocked Caroline with blank eyes and a faint smile on her lips. She had tried learning to turn off her emotions throughout the year, if it were possible. And after much practice, she had finally mastered the façade of a poker face.

.

.

.

Elena and Caroline hardly slept through the night that had followed, after their disturbing conversation. Caroline was still dumbfounded and all other words that could possibly be the synonym of the word _'shocked'_. On the other hand, Elena was frightened; frightened that the past she had tried to get away from might repeat itself again. It was one thought that had made her toss and turn in her bed over and over again.

It was the last day of the week: _Friday_, and Elena was hoping for things to get better. She showered and fixed herself, packed the things she needed for school, and had prepared herself for another day with an empty seat staring at her right in the face. But she was caught in a surprise when she saw that all the seats in her class had been occupied.

Dylan, after three consecutive days of being absent, was finally here, sitting at his own small desk, his coal, black hair was messier than ever, and his cerulean, blue eyes groggily opened and closed themselves in succession. Elena could see the shadows beneath his eyes, and the soft tint of redness on his nose. She knew that he was just recovering from his flu and had tried so hard to get back to school.

As soon as classes started, Elena began checking her attendance sheet as she sat on her teacher's chair. She asked Dylan a couple of questions regarding things that had happened within the past 3 days.

"Dylan, are you alright?" Elena asked from across the room.

"Yes, Ms. Elena. I'm getting better already. Daddy has been giving me my medicine and cooking lots of chicken soup." The boy answered in a small, hoarse voice. Elena had to admit it, but she did miss this boy's presence in her class. She was pretty sure that she'd feel the same if her other students had gone absent. But, there was this small voice in her mind that had told her that she'd only feel this concerned when it comes to this boy.

Then, Elena remembered what Dylan had said; about how his dad had been cooking lots of chicken soup for him. That small thought left a smile on Elena's lips. It had made her think that there actually might be a possibility that Damon _had_ changed his 'evil' ways, and turned into a new leaf.

"That's great." Elena nodded, giving him a wide smile of welcome. "But, are you sure you're going to be alright? It'd be an exhausting day." She asked again, reassuring him if he was really ready to put some work into his tired, little mind.

Dylan nodded softly in his seat as a small smirk marked his lips. "Yes, I am sure, Ms. Elena." He replied, and this made Elena's smile widen more. She'd never seen a 6-year-old kid so dedicated to his schoolwork. _I wish _all_ kids were like this_, she thought to herself as she nodded back at him in response.

Elena was about to mention the next name on her attendance list when Dylan had interrupted her once more. "Oh, and don't worry Ms. Elena," Dylan whispered from across the room, the same smirk he had earlier had lingered on his lips. "My daddy would be picking me up today. He told me how much he wanted to talk to you about stuff. He told me that it's been a long time and that he was looking forward to see you again." And that was all that could've made Elena's smile disappear and transform into just a thin line across her face.

After 6 years of not seeing each other, or _talking_ to each other, Damon and Elena will finally meet at this very coincidental moment. But, Elena was pretty sure that it wasn't coincidental at all. She knew that somehow, just maybe, Damon was behind all of this, and had tried convincing his still naïve, little boy to do all his dirty work for him.

Oh, how this thought disgusted and worried Elena. _I don't wanna see Damon. Not now. Not ever._ It was one thought that had come across her mind repeatedly for the past week since she had been introduced to his kid, but she knew that somehow, that day would eventually come; the day when she was going to meet the father of her 6-year-old student.

The class fell silent as Dylan had waited for Elena to make a response. She hadn't noticed that they've been quiet for a while, and that her jaw had been somehow left a little bit open. Elena shut her mouth subtly, and forced out a smile upon her lips. "That'd be great, Dylan. I'm looking forward to meeting your dad again." She muttered through gritted teeth. She had said those words aloud, but knew that what she really meant was quite the opposite: _I am so not_.

Elena had tried as much as she could to make the day go slower, but it seems like it'd been quite a difficulty. The three hours had passed by her painfully quick, when she had wanted time to freeze so that dismissal time wouldn't come. Where was that universal control they used in the movie 'Click' when you needed it?

She had continued teaching the students, trying to keep her mind off what might happen in a couple more minutes. She was really getting the hang of it, when the final bell, that had indicated it was dismissal time, rang. Elena couldn't help but flinch at the mocking sound of the bell's incisive ringing. She dismissed her class slowly, taking her time, savoring every moment she had, but she knew that she had to just do it: to get things over with.

Everybody left the class except for her favorite blue-eyed student who remained on his seat, staring straight at her. Elena had tried fixing her things without being bothered by the 6-year-old's eyes, clawing her back bare. She felt her heartbeat quicken in pace as every second ticked past the clock, and having Dylan's eyes on her didn't make her feel any better. It was a simple equation really: Dylan had Damon's eyes, and Dylan's eyes had reminded her much of Damon. _Dylan + Look at Elena = Remind of Damon_. It was _that_ uncomfortable.

She had almost finished fixing her things in her burgundy-colored bag when she felt a small tap on the window of the classroom door. It was a quarter to 12, and she had guessed that she already knew who was on the other side of the door. Stupidly, Elena had _dramatically_ and _accidentally_ let the blinds down, which made her unable to see past the window.

She was nervous. Her heart was beating like a drum inside her chest. She stared past the blinds and saw thin pieces of black cloth that had appeared behind the cracks in the blinds. _He's still into black, I see_, she thought to herself, trying _not_ to make things awkward. But it was hard concentrating if you knew that this person you're about to meet was someone you'd tried _never_ to see again; someone you've avoided.

_I'm going to be as professional as possible_, she thought. _It'd make things a lot less awkward._

Elena made her way slowly to the classroom door as she heard another set of light knocks on the wooden door. Her hand had already reached out and had made contact with the knob. It felt freezing cold in her sweaty hands. _This is it_. Elena bit her lip nervously as she turned the knob and opened the door as quick as she could. _And that was when she saw _him_._

Her eyes ran over his familiar figure like a radar; she scanned him from head to toe with wide eyes that fluttered repeatedly. She saw how his tousled, black hair had remained as it had like the last time she'd seen him: _drunk and wrecked_. His smirk still carried the same mischievous and enigmatic drive to it. He was still dressed in black, and nothing but pure black. Only this time, he'd gone more formal by wearing a dress shirt, instead of just a leather jacket over a dark-colored v-neck. He still held his familiar, arrogant pose as he had his hand on the other side of the doorframe, his leg crossing over the other. It screamed total masculinity. It screamed totally _Damon_. The last thing Elena laid her eyes on were his mesmerizing, cyan, blue eyes; blue eyes that screamed '_I'm going to stare you down until you melt to your knees before me'_.

She tried shaking herself back to reality as she realized that she was staring at him for a little too long. That was when a familiar thought came to her mind: _I know that I could recognize those tantalizing blue eyes anywhere_.

"Hello, Elena." Damon greeted her in the same husky and low voice that sounded a little too familiar in her ears. His smirk widened as he winked at the woman before him. He just continued piercing his eyes through hers as he felt the resistance and the weakness overpower her. It had been a long time since they last saw each other, and it had also been a long time since Damon had come out to play the game.

_This was going to be an interesting meet._

.

.

.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note<span>:**

_First of all_, I wanted to thank you guys for giving me the most awesome type of feedback in the history of my life :) Yes. I have written 8 stories from Fan Fiction, and this might be the first story in my _entire_ life that had gotten this good of a feedback from all of the readers. So, **Thank You**. I really appreciate it. (And I've lately, just recently, discovered that this is my 14th month on Fan Fiction. YES!)

_Second of all_, I wanted to make it clear that, in our country, we consider Nursery, Kinder and Preparatory school as 'Pre-School'. I don't know why, but I guess that's one misunderstanding most of the people had, so I'm sorry if things had gotten really confusing. (I was 6 when I was in Kindergarten)

_Third of all_, Damon's a doofus, for not knowing that he just had an accident with some chick when he was 20. _That_'s the consequences for his carelessness: a kid who he has to support now. (Lesson Learned: Safe Sex please)

_Fourth of all_, I want to thank you guys _again_. This is the first story that I could actually ever be proud of. :D You guys give me the awesomest excuse to stay up late at night after doing my homework to write and continue this story, so _thank you_.

_And lastly_, hey guys. Guess what? I'm fourteen! And I live in the Philippines! Hell to the Yeah! (I'm a Junior, if you guys are wondering. So I apologize if there are a lot of errors in this story. I'm just an amateur novelist in training, so yeah)

**Thanks Guys!  
><strong>God Bless!

- **B.S.L.R.**


	5. Chapter 4: Long Time No See

**Chapter 4**: Long Time No See

.

.

.

**S**o, aren't you going to invite me in?" A playful smirk lingered on Damon's lips, his eyes never leaving her beautiful face. His voice mocked Elena as her face turned bright red in complete anger and frustration. Her hands clenched into fists on her sides and it was looking as if she was biting her lip off. _He hasn't changed one bit_, she thought.

Elena could feel herself shaking in fury, but she tried composing herself anyway. She knew that Dylan was inside the room, watching them, so she knew that if Damon was the least bit of the father, he wouldn't do anything stupid in front of his own son. But she knew that she wouldn't take the chance. It _was_ Damon after all.

She stepped aside the door and crossed her arms over her chest to stop herself from shaking. Elena's jaw was tight as she gritted her teeth. She made a face as she opened her mouth to mutter a response. "Come in, Mr. Salvatore." She forced out. It was the first words she had ever said to Damon's face after a whole 6 years of peace in solidarity from any of the Salvatores and their _drama_.

Damon slowly walked in the classroom, a devious smirk plastered over his lips. He could see how defensive Elena looked like, standing aside the entrance, her arms crossed over her chest, trying with all of her might to make sure that they don't make any physical contact _at all_ with each other. _I'm going to take that as a challenge. _Elena saw Damon bite his lower lip and narrow his eyes all of a sudden.

"It's nice to see you again after all these years, Ms. Gilbert." Damon muttered, lifting his hand to her and offering a shake. Elena just stared at his hand with nothing but disgust. Her eyes connected with Damon's that sent a mental message like _'Never in a million years'_, but then she noticed Dylan move in his seat and pierced his unknowing cerulean orbs at the two of them, waiting for his teacher to be as _welcoming_ as possible.

Damon's smirk widened, sensing the near victory over her resistance, and finally she gave in. Dylan watched as Elena forced a tight smile on her lips and took his dad's hand hesitantly for a professional handshake. But then, Damon didn't let go of her soft hands. He held them tight in his and he watched Elena's face fill with terror as Damon winked at her. He bowed his head and softly pressed his lips on the back of her hand, sending a tremor of chills down her spine and the reverberating memory of their first meet echo in her head. He released her hand and Elena pulled it to her chest, clasping it with her other hand.

Elena never thought that such memories could be recalled by a simple touch, but how could she _force_ herself to absorb the wrong information? It wasn't _just_ a simple touch. It was electrifying, and it shook every one of her nerves in her body and awakened them, making them remember about the past, and letting them flood back into her head. She remained frozen in her position as Damon examined and explored the classroom.

He slowly walked to where Dylan sat down and placed his hand on top of the boy's head where he messed up the black tresses that were his hair. Dylan squealed as he tried prying his dad's hand from his head. "Dad! Stop it!" The boy's voice echoed through the room, his laughter filled the air, and this made Elena very curious.

She turned around slowly and was faced with the most adorable father-and-son scene she'd ever seen a psychopath do. Her eyes hovered over Damon, tickling the life out of his blue-eyed son and asking him about his day. Dylan tried as much as he could to evade his father's fingers, but they were just too quick and Damon knew his son just too well. Damon had him rolling on the floor with laughter when he finally stopped, deciding he should probably give his son a breath or two.

Damon had a genuine smile on his face when his eyes found Elena's, staring at him and his son with wide and curious brown orbs. And that was when his smile faded, and his expression turned serious, his eyes were blank. Elena's hopes of change in Damon were put to a halt as she noticed the same smirk mark his lips once more. Elena let out a short sigh as she began walking toward her desk.

"So, Mr. Salvatore, what matters have you come here to talk about?" Elena asked him as professionally as possible, sitting behind her desk and fixing her posture up. Damon watched her with piercing, blue eyes as he strode slowly to her desk, following after her, but stopped dead in front of the table. He leaned in closely, his eyes never leaving hers, as another wave of chills electrified her.

"Of course, _Ms. Gilbert_." He pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at her, playing with her act. "I'm here to converse about my son's absence for the past three days." When Damon finished this sentence, Elena found it very peculiar when she heard how he emphasized _'my son'_. Elena nodded in comprehension and insisted for him to continue.

"Since Dylan has been sick lately and he hasn't been able to attend three of his classes, I was wondering if you'd be able to give him make-up lessons." Damon continued playfully, the amusement on his face never fading away. "At the Salvatore Boarding House." He said, leaning in closer towards her.

Elena felt her back come in contact with the backrest of the chair, trying as much as she could lean away from him. She felt beads of sweat slowly drip from the side of her face as she felt the sudden change of temperature in the room. Yes, she couldn't deny the fact that she didn't want to return to that house again. There were too many unwanted memories in there that would just continue to make her life utterly bitter and stressful. And yes, it was true that life without either of the Salvatores was a lot easier, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to give that up yet. But, was it right, giving up the opportunity to give a child an education just to avoid the resentful past? _No, it wasn't_.

She shook her head of all the thoughts of selfishness that came to her and leaned a bit to the side over Damon's shoulder and her eyes glanced over the small silhouette that cast shadows beyond the well-lit room. Dylan was quietly sitting on his chair with a piece of paper on his desk and a red crayon in his hands. His eyes travelled innocently on the paper as he drew a series of lines, curves and shapes that all went together in a form of a rocket. _Would I pass out a chance like this to educate such a young mind_? She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.

"I would gladly comply, Mr. Salvatore." Elena whispered lowly as another thought of victory washed over Damon. _'Damon – 2, Elena – 0_', he thought arrogantly as he straightened his back and circled his shoulders triumphantly. "For the sake of your child's _future_ that is." She added her silent innuendo as her eyebrows rose and a small grin caught her lips.

Damon raised an eyebrow at her as she gracefully stood up from her seat and began collecting her things. "Is that all you've come to talk about?" She asked again, but a little too rudely this time.

Damon didn't answer. His eyes were blank, yet they pierced through Elena's like knives. The playfulness on his face had finally disappeared and he just stood there, watching her every move. She tried as much as she could to avoid his compelling stare although she could feel his eyes clawing at her back. "Dylan, come here." He called for his son. His eyes never left Elena as he waited for Dylan. The boy fixed his things in his backpack and walked up to his father's side where Damon placed his arm over his son's shoulders.

"Ms. Gilbert says that it would be an _honor_ to give you your make up classes." Damon announced with a taunting tone in his voice. "Starting _tomorrow_, Saturday. She'd go to our house and help you catch up with your lessons." Elena saw Dylan's face light up in bliss and delight. He shrugged off his father's arm from his shoulders and ran up to his teacher and hugged her legs.

"Really, Ms. Elena?" He asked happily, his voice was overflowing with joy.

Elena couldn't ignore the same amount of happiness that flooded to her, seeing how happy this boy was. Her eyes connected with the kids hope-filled orbs when she broke their eye contact and glared at Damon with such ferocity and irritation. _How could he even use his own son like that as live bait?_ A scowl reached her face as she mouthed the words _'I Hate You'_ to him.

A smile of sarcastic victory reached his lips when he saw this. He winked and mouthed _'You're Welcome'_ back at her. Elena tried to put on the same façade she uses to assure children that things were going well and that there was absolutely no such thing to worry about when she bowed her head down to look at Dylan and answer him straight ahead. "Yes, Dylan. I will be tutoring you during the weekends."

"Thanks, Ms. Elena!" Dylan's voice was so loud and so filled with gratitude that Elena almost forgot on whom she was dealing with. She had often wondered why this boy right in front of her was so engaging and pleasurable to be with; it was because of the genetic inheritance. It was the _charm_ that he caught from Damon.

'_He's supposed to be charming! He gets it from his father!'_ And she flinched at the thought.

It was at that moment when a series of images and hallucinations flooded back to her mind. She imagined herself with this cute, little, blue-eyed boy; her arms around him in a tight embrace. It was sweet and innocent, till' she felt something soft touch the side of her neck. It was a soft brush that gradually turned rough and manipulative. He ravaged her neck with his kisses as Elena tried to get him off her. She placed her hands on the full head of black tresses that grew on the boy's head and began pulling him away. It took a couple of tugs for her to pry the boy from her, and when she successfully pulled him away, familiar cobalt-blue eyes bore into hers. They were neither sympathetic nor child-like. The person in her hands was no longer the 6-year-old kid that had held her. It was the 27-year-old man she'd never desired to come cross again.

Her eyes were filled with terror when she saw this revelation. _'Damon! What are you doing?_' She shrieked as she tried banging her fists on his chest, but he just wouldn't budge. He placed his hands tight on her waist and tried holding her in position. He leaned in close enough to graze her earlobe when he whispered, _'What are you talking about, Ms. Elena? I'm Dylan.'_ He muttered those words in her ear; the same mocking and devious smirk erupted from his lips as realization finally struck her. That wasn't Damon. It was _Dylan_, all grown up, just like his father: rude, aggressive, intimidating, compelling and _all the things_ Damon was.

Elena was stuck frozen in her position with Dylan still embracing her legs. When the boy realized that his teacher's mind was no longer present from her body, he took a step back and released her from his embrace and scratched his head in confusion. "Ms. Elena, are you alright?" The boy's high-pitched voice echoed in Elena's mind and that was the alarm clock that brought her back from the frightening hallucination that had crossed her mind. She shook herself, feeling a little bit disoriented as she examined where she was.

She was still in the classroom. Dylan was still six, and Damon remained sitting casually on a small desk, a look of wonder in his eyes as he watched Elena recover from a quite grotesque thought. She felt her heart beat faster than the usual and she noticed how hot it had been since Damon had arrived her life once more. It was true, the fact that the Salvatores brought nothing but distress to Elena. It had only been 10 minutes with Damon inside the room and she had already felt the stress and the pressure build up in her.

"Ms. Elena, are you alright?" Dylan asked Elena again, his eyes filled with curiosity about what had just happened, and wonder about why his teacher had looked quite disoriented. Elena's eyes just fell flat as they stared at Dylan.

"Why, yes, Ms. Elena. Are you alright?" Damon repeated his son's question. This time, his deep voice crept through the room and filled Elena's ears. His voice was teasing, taunting, mocking and sarcastic. He'd noticed that Elena was out for a while, and he'd noticed how exhausted she looked like. He knew very well that it was the thought of _him_ that made her nervous. He smiled at that quite cocky thought, his gaze never leaving Elena.

"Y-y-yes." Elena stuttered, her throat was dry and her hands were shaking from the traumatizing thought. "I need to have a drink, would you excuse me for a moment." She added, clearing her throat and quickly making her way to the door. She had her hand on the doorknob when she heard Damon's voice interrupt her before she had the door open.

"Sure, Ms. _Elena_." His mouth enunciated every syllable of her name. This gesture sent another wave of electrifying chills to crash against her. "Take all the time you need." Elena twisted the doorknob and tried walking back to the Teacher's Lounge where she could have a drink of water.

She rushed inside when she saw Caroline sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels as usual. This time, she ignored her for a minute and headed for the water dispenser to pour herself a glass of water up to the rim. "What's up?" Caroline asked unknowingly what was happening.

Elena drank it all in a single tilt of the glass. After putting it down, she faced Caroline and announced the news to her from across the room. "Damon's here."

Caroline stopped mid-way from pushing another button when she turned the TV off with a flick of a finger. "What?"

"_He's here_ and he's waiting for me." Elena grumbled, rolling her eyes as she began making her way back to the corridor to face Damon again. She was halfway through the room when Caroline's hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her to a halt. Elena looked at her face filled with wrath. She knew exactly what the other girl was thinking, of course. It was the familiar blinding fury she had running through her mind as she saw the expression on her face.

She knew exactly that Caroline was insisting to help her face him. But, Elena gently pulled her hand back and glanced at her, apologetically. "I think I have to face him alone, Care. It's _been_ 6 years. Maybe it's time for a change." She added, hoping that there was still a single drop of compassion in him to even make him think of changing.

Caroline nodded in comprehension as Elena faced the door again and took a deep breath before exiting the Teacher's Lounge. To her surprise, she saw Damon's shadowy figure leaning casually on the wall of the corridor, his eyes remained permanently glued to her face. Her eyes searched for Dylan, Damon's miniature version, but she saw him nowhere along the corridor.

"Where's Dylan?" She asked curiously, looking around the dimly lit hallways, seeing nothing but her silhouette entangled along with Damon's.

"Oh, he's in the playroom, having some fun." He muttered in a matter of fact, his eyebrows rising as he dragged the words along. Elena's face was blank and her jaw was kept tight as she took a couple of strides to the door of the playroom, but when she was about to barge inside the room, Damon stood in front of the doorway, his arms blocking the entrance.

Elena stopped dead in her tracks. She tilted her head and saw that his eyes were filled with humor and his lips were drawn to an impish grin. "I think we need some time alone for a while."

And those words caught Elena off guard. Her eyebrows furrowed and a bitter scowl reached her face. It was stupid of her to think that Damon would change after all those years. It was impossible and she knew that. Even though there was this ray of hope that shone through her, thinking about the possibility of change in him, she somehow always knew that there was a slight chance that he wouldn't have changed at all.

"Listen here, Salvatore." Elena spat out the words like venom. "Whatever game it is you're playing, I don't wanna play anymore." She hissed. "Damon, _the hell_, it's been 6 years. And when someone runs away from someone unexpectedly for 6 years, people would probably get a clue that she doesn't want to see that certain person again. Didn't you get that message?" She knew that he was uncomprehending, but she didn't know that he was _that_ stupid.

She watched the expression on Damon's face remain blank, as if her words weren't as sharp as knives. He just kept his narrow lips shut, although his eyes were filled with audacity and boldness. He tilted his head and whispered, "I got that message _perfectly_ clear." Damon removed his arm from the doorway and stepped to the side to give a small space, revealing the doorknob just behind him.

Elena took a deep breath and nodded, assuming that Damon had finally understood what she said. She grabbed the doorknob slowly, but Damon's hand shot up unexpectedly, grabbing her wrist in a tight grip. Elena stared at him with terror as he slowly bowed down to whisper something in her ear. "But what we're playing isn't a game of pass the message, dear."

_I shouldn't have fallen for it_, Elena thought ruefully. It's like being stung by a scorpion, the clam unknowingly snapping close, the viper suddenly striking. You would have never guessed it because it was that believable. Elena tried pulling her wrist away from Damon's hot grip when he added, "It's 'hide and seek', and I think I just won Round 1."

Elena wanted to assert herself on him that she no longer wanted to be part of his schemes anymore. It wasn't her choice to be dragged along into his drama. And it wasn't her choice to return to the same place in history over again. She had wanted to kick, throw punches, bang her knuckles on his chest, but there was this invisible restraint stopping her to do so.

She had hoped for something miraculous to happen; For Caroline to barge in on them and spit venomous words to him, hoping that it'd drive him away for a while. She had hoped for a janitor to see them so that Damon would release her from his grip and she'd have enough time to make a break for it. She had hoped for Dylan to interrupt their silent innuendos and to wonder what they were doing. It was better to be awkward than to be physically and emotionally harassed. That was when she heard the echo of the small boy's voice coming from the glass window on the other side of the playroom's door. "Daddy?"

Dylan knocked on the window, his little, blue eyes connected with Elena's with a hint of friendliness to them. Elena sighed in relief. She reached for the doorknob and opened the door, letting Dylan back into the corridor. It was better for boy to be with her, than for her to b alone in a narrow corridor with Damon.

The boy grabbed his teacher's hand and didn't let go; his small palm wrapped around Elena's fingers. And this time, Elena didn't actually know what she was supposed to feel.

She was agitated by the presence of a long-time-no-see acquaintance she'd never planned to meet again, yet somehow she was mesmerized by his son's engaging presence and always-charming manners; his 6-year-old _son's_, which she'd found very odd. She tried to shake those disturbing images in her mind, when Damon's taunting voice filled her ears once more. "Ms. Gilbert, I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner tonight."He whispered, totally out of topic. She felt the sting of a sudden whiplash overpower her.

_Did Damon Salvatore just ask me out to dinner? _She asked herself rhetorically as a wide smile of disbelief marked her lips. She had wanted to say _'What could possibly make you think that I'd say _yes_ to you'_ to his face, but she couldn't because of Dylan's presence. She wouldn't want to destroy such an innocent mind with her foul language, so she just decided to go with the usual excuse. "I can't. I have _tons_ of work and I've been recently _stressed_ by a sudden change in schedule."

Damon remained silent at that moment, as if he wasn't going to do anything. But Elena knew better. She knew that Damon was not the type of man who takes no for an answer, but it seemed peculiar; the fact that he didn't protest. But then, just before Elena was about to get away with a free Friday night, she felt her hand being gently tugged by the small boy whose hands pulled on hers. "Please, Ms. Elena. Would you please go to dinner with us?" Dylan tried convincing her with his puppy dog eyes and a cute little pout. Elena had a weakness for cute children, and she just couldn't stand to _not_ look into his eyes. "Just you, me and daddy." He added.

Elena hated herself for feeling vulnerable to this boy's charms. It was just like 6 years ago, when she fell for Damon's charming 'hand-kiss' introduction. It was history repeating itself over again and she felt a sharp pang in her chest when she reminisced about that. Her eyes fluttered, deleting those things from her mind, and looked down to smile at the boy. "For you, sweetie, sure."

"Thanks, Ms. Elena. You're the best!" Dylan jumped in complete happiness that his teacher would be having dinner with him and his father, not knowing that there was a whole other hidden agenda going on between the two adults. Damon, on the other hand, was grinning triumphantly under the shadows of the dark hallway.

"Great. We'll pick you up at 7." Damon muttered from under his breath, taking Dylan's shoulders and pulling him to his side. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you tonight, Ms. Elena." He added, smirking at her as they began walking away from Elena. She watched their silhouettes disappear along the weak light of the corridor, thinking about the regretful decision she had made by saying yes to Damon's invitation. It was as if she had agreed to join his game.

A game she knew she'd dreaded to play again. Damon wasn't one who plays fair, and she very well knew that. And now she just probably dragged herself to one of the most vicious rounds this man could ever make up. He gets to make the rules, and she has to find some way to get herself out of this mess.

.

.

.

The night was young, and Elena had just finished preparing for the evening's arrangements. She pulled on a modest, little, black dress and added a bright yellow belt to add a splash of color to her dull ensemble. She put on a moderate amount of nude make-up and kept her hair up in an orderly bun, pinning it up with an ornamental hair accessory. She added a few sprays of apple-scented perfume and she was done.

Elena sat down on the love seat in the middle of her living room as she scattered the contents of her purse on top of the coffee table that stood near. She took out a small notebook and a pen and began listing a couple of things she needed done over the weekend as she waited for her two _dates _to pick her up.

The clock struck seven and still, not even the doorbell rang. Elena thought that Damon was _possibly_ fashionably late. _How could he be? All he does is mess up his hair and put on a thick amount of strong-smelling perfume. _She rolled her eyes at the thought of opening Damon's closet to see nothing but a series of designer v-necks, button up shirts, leather jackets, pants and other articles of clothing all coming in one color: black. _Oh, I wish that man would have more taste in sense of color. That was the exact reason why I had avoided wearing black; because he wore _too much_ of it._

Minutes passed by as Elena lay on the couch, continuously staring at the light, hoping for Damon to _not_ be able to make it. She guessed that she spoke too soon when she heard her doorbell ring a couple of times and a loud honking of a horn followed afterward. She stared at her wall clock to check the time and it was only 7:43. _This is going to be a long night_.

She walked to the door after a series of impatient doorbell rings. She opened it, assuming that she'd find a monotonously dressed man with blue eyes to greet her with his witty innuendos; but she was wrong. What faced her was about a three-foot-five, 6-year-old kid, wearing a checkered, navy blue button up shirt and a nice, coal black hat lying on top of his head. He held a blooming red rose in his tiny hands, his eyes were soft and his smile was genuine.

"Good Evening, Ms. Elena. You look beautiful tonight." Dylan whispered, handing her the rose. Elena took it in her hands and sniffed it unhesitant, before going down on her knees and giving the boy a soft peck on the cheek. _His father taught him well_, she thought before thanking him and escorting him to the car just in front of her lawn.

Her eyes shot wide open when they saw Damon's silhouette, leaning casually over his car, his hands on his pocket, a self-satisfied smirk playing on his lips. _He looked good_. No, that was an understatement. _He looked great_. Knowing that Damon has his usual bad boy look going after him, and that he always looked like he's going to the club, seeing him fresh and clean in a dark suit, a white undershirt and a crème-colored hat, just like his son's, just seemed so different to Elena's eyes.

Damon noticed Elena's big, brown eyes gawking over him, which made him throw out another one of his witty remarks. "Enjoying the view too much? Be careful. I might melt under your _smoldering_ gaze. " Elena eventually shook herself back to reality again. She made a face at him and rolled her eyes when Damon added a follow up. "Don't worry. You look remarkably delightful as well tonight, Ms. Elena."

He stepped away from the door and opened it in the most gentlemanly way he could, while Elena just tried talking herself that it was just an act and nothing more. Dylan got in the car too, followed by Damon on the driver's seat. He started the engine and the car was off.

Elena wondered where they might be eating out. She'd hoped that it was neither Chinese nor Mexican, for she wasn't in the mood for any of the foods that Damon _knew_ had annoyed her; all she wanted was plain, old, Italian Fettuccini pasta. And regardless of the presence she was with tonight, the drive has been pleasant, actually. Dylan had made up nice conversations about the car-racing games he played on his video console, even though Elena couldn't relate at all. Damon saw her confusion with the subject and how she struggled on answering his questions precisely that he let out a low chuckle.

The drive went on as so, till' they reached an Italian restaurant called 'Italiannis'. Elena sighed when they finally got to their destination. She was hungry as hell and she was glad to know that Damon didn't do anything _drastic _just to annoy her. A small smile settled upon her lips as they walked into the establishment and got a table out in the garden part of the eatery. The place was beautiful. The crescent moon settled upon their heads, a small flower vase was placed at the middle of the circular table covered by fine linen cloth; everything looked so serene.

Dylan pulled out Elena's chair for her and she smiled at the fine gesture the small boy had did, but she could've sworn that she just saw Damon wink at his son after he finished doing the gentlemanly deed he just did, and sat at his seat just beside her. Elena sat on the chair opposite of Damon as she removed the small flower in the vase and replaced it with the fine rose Dylan had handed to her earlier this night.

As soon as they got to their seats, a beautiful and voluptuous, dark-haired young waitress approached the table with three menus in her hands, thick make up on her face, a plastic smile on her lips and a look of desire starting in her eyes as they landed on Damon. She slowly handed the trio their menus, bending especially low when she got to Damon. Damon, on the other hand, was indifferent; his eyes just scanning every page of menu. They all got their orders, as the waitress walked away, looking disappointed when she noticed that Damon hadn't even glanced at her. Elena grinned triumphantly and watched the waitress sulk away.

Just then, Damon got to his feet, a wide smirk on his lips as he followed after the waitress. "Would you excuse me?" For once, it made Elena think that he was actually after the waitress that seemed disappointed, but Damon bent down low enough to explain his intentions in her ear: "I'm just gonna _put_ in a good word for us. Maybe we'd even get the dinner for free." She heard the aggressiveness and the playfulness in his voice when Elena just instantly motioned her hand away for him to continue. Damon left as Elena shook her head with an amused smile on her face. _Go work your charm, Salvatore man._

When Elena and Dylan were left alone at the table, Elena had no other choice but to start a conversation with him _first_, so that they wouldn't be caught up in talking about things Elena _knows_ she couldn't relate to. "Dylan, why did your dad invite you? Growing boys like you should be getting their sleep." She smiled.

"My bed time gets extended to 11 during weekends. Daddy always takes me out on Fridays. We usually go to the arcade to play some indoor games, watch football, hockey or basketball, and sometimes we even go to the park and go exploring at night." He smiled, and that warmed Elena's heart a little more. She never _was_ convinced that Damon could be a responsible father who could attend to all his son's needs _and_ wants.

"And of course, I wouldn't want to break my promise to you, Ms. Elena. I promised that I would be with you and daddy tonight." The boy added, standing from his chair, lifting his arms up and exaggeratingly declaring, "Here I am!"

Elena let out a small giggle. She was flattered, and all she wanted to do know was gather the child in her arms and pull him into one of her tight embraces. That's when a common thought passed by Elena's mind.

The boy knew his way around his words. He knew how to make his eyes sparkle with sincerity. He knew how to achieve the perfect smirk. He knew the right movements to do; the right gestures to perform to charm his way into a woman's heart. This was one Salvatore in training.

She couldn't help herself. She _had_ to know. She had to know whether this boy's father had been manipulating his son's mind to do his dirty work for him. She had to figure it out for herself. Elena called forth the boy with a motion of her fingers, and Dylan got up from his seat and walked up to his teacher,

Elena grabbed Dylan's shoulders, turning him around so that his back faced hers, and then wrapped her arms around the small boy's frame. Then, she placed a small peck on the kid's cheek, his pale face, blushing red at the gesture. Elena sniffed in his scent. It was a strong combination of Damon's perfume and Dylan's shampoo. She felt intoxicated as she smelled his odor, remembering Damon: the way his smirk sent a frightening chill down her spine, the way his eyes penetrated deeply into hers, the way his casual stance had become slightly predatorily over her.

She eventually shook her once-again _disturbing_ thoughts, and asked her question to Dylan. "Did your daddy ever convince you to be sweet on me?" Elena asked a little too straightforwardly. Dylan turned his head to stare into his teacher's brown, doe-eyes and he tried as much to answer her truthfully.

"No. Daddy didn't have to ask me anything. I wanted to make you feel special, Ms. Elena." And Elena tried as much as she could to not look surprised. _Of course_, she thought. _Now, why would Damon poison his own child's mind by placing insignificant orders in there under his command?_ She rolled her eyes at the silly thought. She was about to move on from that though when Dylan added something in a soft whisper. "Oh, and Daddy also told me that if I did this, he'd be really happy."

_So he _still_ has his hidden agenda_. Elena stared blankly into the light of the lit candle in the middle of their dining table. A moment of silence settled upon them, her arms loosely hanging around Dylan's shoulders. He looked up at her and pierced his beautiful, blue eyes into his teacher's chocolate brown ones. He saw a blank look all over her face, but he didn't know what it meant. All he thought was that Ms. Elena was thinking about something really far.

Dylan disconnected his eyes from his teacher and placed his small hands on Elena's arms. The touch sent a wave of chills down her spine that awakened her from her trans-like state. Dylan rubbed his hands on her cool skin and tried warming them with friction. "Do you like Daddy, Ms. Elena?" He asked her in his signature small voice, his eyes open wide with curiosity.

Elena wanted to say no. Actually, she really wanted to say _'Hell No! I hate you father. I didn't even really expect to see him come back in my life so soon. I never want to see his face again, and yet, here I am, having dinner with him and his six-year-old child.' _But she knew she couldn't say that aloud, especially with such a pure mind in her presence. Elena forced out a tight smile on her lips and her grip around Dylan tightened in tension. She began swaying to the left and to the right repeatedly, as she answered his question in the simplest and safest way _possible_. "That's really sweet and all but, I don't like your daddy that way. He's just a friend."

She let go of the small boy from her arms and flashed him the same tight smile she put on when she had tried to get the words out to him. Dylan turned around so that he was facing her, his eyes never leaving hers. His stare was so piercingly smoldering that it would seem like he was suspecting that there was a sign of denial behind his teacher's voice. The boy bit his lower lip and let out a small sigh before trying to cross his arms over his chest, but his arms were too short for his torso and it ended up looking as if he was just hugging himself. Elena wanted to giggle, but she wanted to respect how serious Dylan saw the situation was so she tried to keep herself at bay.

He exhaled once more before closing his eyes and giving out his views on what his teacher had just told him."Then, I guess daddy wouldn't be so glad after all." And those were the last words that left a cliffhanger in Elena's mind, especially with the fact that Damon had returned to the table with a cocky grin totally wide spread on his lips.

"You seem a little too happy." Elena commented, trying as much as she could to remove those last thoughts in her mind. _Wait, what did this boy mean when he said that his daddy wouldn't be so glad after all? _Could Damon still be holding those feelings he had in the past? Could he still be hoping for something to happen between them? It made her think. What was this even about?

"Guess what, we've just been granted a 50% discount on this entire meal." Damon's low grumble tuned out those distracting thoughts that filled her mind. _Did I just hear what I just heard_? They have been granted half-off on whatever they plan on ordering. Oh, yes: the powers of the Salvatore Man's charm. _I am very much aware of how hard it is to not be fooled by that kind of charm_. Elena could've guessed that the boss just was hypnotized by the conman's sweet words and his smooth moves.

She rolled her eyes and just threw him a small nod, although at the very back of her mind, she was very impressed. It has been six years, and Damon still had his charm, regardless of his age. She didn't know if she was supposed to ravel in the man's greatness when it comes to getting what he wants, or to be frightened that his will could be more powerful than any other force she had come across with.

The food they had all ordered eventually arrived at the table as the same waitress delivered them their meals, her eyes never leaving Damon's figure. Elena tried as much as she could not to look at the woman who was ogling Damon. She just tried to keep her eyes on the banquet presented before her tonight. It all looked so mouthwatering, from the white pasta of the baked fettuccini to the dark orange sweetness of the spaghetti Damon had ordered for his son.

Elena felt her stomach growl. She was so hungry that she began thinking that she could literally eat everything that was laid out on the table in front of her. Her eyes were ravenous, staring down at each course with hungry eyes. She wanted to begin digging in, but it was on Damon's call. She wouldn't want to look rude in front of her student, so she waited.

She watched how the waitress began flirting with Damon. _Ugh! This is going to take a while_. She just knew it. The woman was giving out different signs of interest: hooded eyelids, slightly parted lips, chest protruding, eyes sparkling with curiosity and her stance a ready pose to strike. Elena had enough of this foolishness. She absentmindedly balled her hands into fists on her lap and struck the waitress an unsatisfied glare. The woman eventually caught her eye and fear washed over her face like a wave. She bid Damon her goodbye and reminded him that if he needed anything, just _'call'_. He gave her a small nod, a wink and a whisper of: 'Thanks, Honey.'

Damon turned his head to face a very impatient-looking Elena. His eyes showed amusement as he saw the expression printed all over her beautiful face. He knew how patient and understanding Elena is, and seeing as to how she looked like at that moment, flaring with the desire to eat, made him chuckle under his breath, because he knew that he was the only one capable of pissing her off with the simplest of things. He loved that about himself: that he could stress the most nonchalant of all people.

Before laying her hands on her knife and fork, Elena then remembered that she was still a teacher, and to teach is what she'd do. She took the table napkin and placed it on her lap as she began reminding Dylan what to do before eating. "Dylan, wash your hands first." She whispered and the boy gladly obliged.

"Yes, Ms. Elena." Dylan whispered, standing up from his chair and slowly walking away from the table until he reached the washroom where he could observe proper hygiene first.

Elena tried waiting again, but her stomach had growled at her for the second time tonight. Oh, she had wished that she hadn't just reminded Dylan to wash. If she hadn't just uttered those words, she would have already been stuffing her mouth with the warm fettuccini pasta that lay mocking her on her plate. Silence settled upon their table that she forgot that she was in the company of somebody else. Damon was sitting on the other side of the table, starring at her with amused eyes, seeing as to how vulnerable she was at the desire to eat food.

"You could start now, if you want to." He whispered to her from across the table, his calm, blue eyes, slowly scanning over her face like a radar. Hearing those words, Elena's eyes lightened up. She knew she wanted to sedate the craving of her stomach, but she knew that it might also be a trap. _But, a trap for what? I'm just being paranoid again_. Yes, she has been paranoid a lot often recently, especially today. And she doesn't even know the reason why.

Instead of doing what she first thought of, which was to gladly disconnect her mind from her body and just begin digging in, since she was as hungry as a horse, but she didn't. Elena had managed to control herself with her inner most desires. She shook her head at Damon's notion at offering her to get a head start and whispered as she rearranged her napkin on her lap. "No, it's alright. Why don't we wait for Dylan?"

And that was the moment when Damon finally saw the right moment to fit a wonderful conversation in their awkward silence. He placed his elbows on the table and leaned closer, his eyes never hers as he whispered amusingly under his breath. "You do know that you're taking every ounce of testosterone out of my little boy's body?"

Elena was shocked at the question Damon proclaimed from out of the blue. Her mouth almost fell open at the surprise, but she had managed to keep her composure quite well. Instead, she cleared her throat and tried to make an appropriate answer. "Are you kidding? That boy has enough testosterone for a group of girls in a club at a Friday night." But then she realized, she slipped and said something a little too dangerous.

She noticed the devious smirk that stretched Damon's lips further. Elena didn't want to make things more obvious by pointing out that her lips made a mistake, so she just decided to go the hell with it and milk it dry. She grabbed a wine glass from beyond her meal and drank the water as she peered through her lashes coyly. "I see that he's taken a lot from his father."

Damon continued to stare at her with an amused gaze. He realized the mistake her lips committed with those words. He tapped his fingers on the smooth tablecloth that lay across the table, his eyes never leaving hers, when he replied, "I'd say that you have been affected by the 'charming gene' of a Salvatore once more."

Elena gave off an indifferent scoff. She knew better that she surely wasn't going to make a mistake of falling for a Salvatore once again. She rolled her eyes and her lips formed a 'you-gotta-be-kidding' me kind of grimace. She was about to throw a witty remark in reply when Damon interrupted her and spoke first. "Has another Salvatore stolen your heart from me again? First it was my brother, and now it's my son. Can't a man trust his family anymore?" He muttered under pursed lips jokingly.

That was when Elena felt the heat flood up to her cheeks as she realized that he was right. Even though Elena knew that it is the single worst thing she could ever admit to herself, _he _was right. She tried to push all those thoughts out off her head and not make it seem like she's going to be losing this round, but how could she? For the first time, after a long 6 years, it was the first statement Damon had ever said to her that actually made sense.

'_Oh no, I've lost too many rounds to this man, and I refuse to lose again_'. Elena returned her wine glass filled with water where it belongs and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'd beg to differ." She protested. "Dylan is different among the 'other' Salvatores. He doesn't use the charm for evil and Casanova-ing. He actually uses it to make people feel special."

And that was when Damon said something; something Elena knew she could never remove from her mind until the day Dylan actually graduates from her class. Her jaw literally dropped open when she heard Damon say this. It wasn't rude, it wasn't arrogant and it wasn't _Damon_-like. It was a revelation that made Elena realize that what Damon had just said could actually happen in the future. And it all went as fast as Damon leaned forward, a devious smirk on his lips, his eyes playful and his posture overpowering. That was the exact moment when he tauntingly murmured the five words Elena knew would really give her something to think about.

"_Wait till' he grows up."_

.

.

.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

_First of all,_ I would like to bid good day to you all my beloved readers.

I am absolutely, completely and whole-heartedly sorry for not being able to update as much as I did. As all of you guys already know, I'm a 14–year-old Junior who's running for honors. (Yes, I am) And, I haven't really had enough time for sleep lately, so instead of writing fanfic, I've been dozing off. (I repeat, I apologize, my badness.)

Then, of course, I have to balance my time for friends and for my own alone time, which is very hard to do since school has been harder than last year. I've been procrastinating over projects and quizzes, but I assure you all that I have written down the whole story and planned it all out in one of my notebooks. (Maybe it was Trigonometry or History or maybe even Music, I'm not really sure)

And, I have also had a horrible case of writer's block. I mean, I have the story written down, but I'm not sure if that's what I really want to appear in the final product and etcetera, so I've been tweaking it a little.

I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. I hope you guys still support my story.

**Thanks Guys!  
><strong>God Bless!

- **B.S.L.R.**


	6. Chapter 5: Over at the Salvatore's

**Chapter 5**: Over at the Salvatore's

.

.

.

**W**_ait 'til he grows up_ – those words continuously rang inside Elena's mind over and over again like a broken record. And like a broken record indeed, it felt like she had just been stabbed in the gut with a jagged piece of vinyl. She winced at the imaginary pain she felt and wrapped her arms around herself subtly, making sure that Damon wouldn't catch sight of it; but it didn't matter. He already knew how she felt. He saw it in her eyes; how they fluttered nervously at his words. He also noticed the flush in her cheeks. No matter how much she tried to conceal herself, her unease was still unravelling itself before his eyes; eyes that showed their hunger for her angst and discomfort. How could someone's stare be as smouldering as his? How was it possible for him to make her shiver at his icy glare, yet melt in the heat of the moment?

She did not comprehend why those five words affected her so much. Was it because of the paranoia that had been frequently prodding her mind? Was it because of the circumstances and revelations made known to her? Was it because of how bothersome Damon's presence had become? Was it because of her fear of the fact that Damon might be right? She wasn't sure which reason was accurate, even though all of them were applicable. And it was the fact that she didn't know that made her feel so uneasy. All of her emotions mixed together, thus resulting to her present discomfort. She was frustrated at the fact that she couldn't win a single battle with him. She felt angered at his wit and innuendos. She was nervous of their first meet after six years. Yet overall, it was the pain that seared through her from her memory of the past that affected her most. It was the last memory she had of him then that drove her running for the hills. He scarred her physically and emotionally, and that was something she knew she could never forgive him for.

Elena felt herself crumbling before Damon. She kept her eyes low, avoiding his gaze. Her hands laid on her lap, clenched to one another in a prayer-like manner. Her legs were crossed over the other; her ankles too. She was trying to think of something to spit back at Damon; something that would make him feel the same way he made her feel, but it was impossible. Damon was the king when it came to games like this. Those were one of the reasons why she avoided him so much – she didn't like the games that he wanted to play back then; even up to now. She always seemed to lose and Damon was one who loved dominating over his opponent. It was what he was. It was the _Damon_ way.

The more she tried to avoid his stare, the more he pierced his eyes at her. He licked his lips and bit his lower lip to suppress a small smirk that was fighting its way to his mouth. He grew amused at every reaction Elena gave away. He loved seeing her like this, squirming under his gaze. He enjoyed every single second of it.

Just before Elena disintegrated into nothing, Dylan finally arrived and broke the tension. "I'm starving!"

And as if she was holding her breath the whole time, Elena finally drew in a great amount of air and exhaled. She was beyond glad that Dylan finally returned from his trip to the washroom. It felt like he had been gone for a whole day with the amount of stress she had been through in the last three minutes or so. Still trying to avoid Damon's face, her eyes met Dylan's familiar blue ones that held hint of admiration to them. This calmed Elena's nerves. Even though Dylan had the exact same eyes as his father, Elena felt different when the six-year-old kid stared at her. She felt loved in a nice and warm kind of way. She felt no hint of terrorism at all; and it made her feel better.

Finally, a warm smile reached Elena's lips. She smiled genuinely at the boy and helped him up to his seat, even placing a napkin on his lap. "So, can we dig in now, Ms. Elena?" Dylan's high-pitched voice asked as he grabbed his knife and fork greedily from the table.

"Yes, we can dig in now." Elena chuckled softly, her smile still remaining. There was something about the boy that made her feel like she was the safest human out there in the world. Despite of the fact that he was only six and that she had only met him a couple of days ago, she felt like he was her protector. He was the light to the darkness that Damon brought. He was her shield from the things she feared the most. She was glad to have him in her life. And she was sure that as long as Dylan was around, Damon would no longer bring her pain.

.

.

.

The dinner actually went by quickly. After they had their taste of the mouth-watering Italian food, Dylan began telling his Pre-School Teacher lots of stories of what he does every day – the shows that he loved to watch, the songs that he loved to sing, the hobbies that he loved to do and the moments that he used to bond with his father. It thrilled Elena to hear all those stories from one of her students. But what thrilled her more was Damon's attitude when Dylan was around. Overall, Damon was on good behaviour for the rest of the night. He made no innuendos; he said nothing of the past. He was just there, sitting with his son, joking around and elaborating stories that Dylan told Elena. He looked like a real father.

These thoughts ran across Elena's mind as they drove home from the restaurant. Damon sat at the driver's seat, Dylan was at the back, and she rode shotgun. The car was quiet. She kept her gaze out the window, mindlessly watching the darkness from afar. She didn't dare to even make conversation with Damon because she knew that it would just drive her insane again. And with her saviour at the back, maybe even fast asleep, no one would be there to save her from Damon's words, or even his actions. She would be all alone like a deer caught in headlights. Only this time, it would be Damon's smouldering stare that would act as the headlights.

She still couldn't figure out how Damon could shift back and forth to two different personalities so quickly and so often. His attitudes changed along with the people that surrounded him. When he was around her, it felt like they were in a game of predator versus prey. He was the hungry tiger and she was a doe that was caught in its sights. But when he was around his son, it was a whole other story. Another side of him, a side which she never knew, came out. He became more pleasant to be around. His indecent, inappropriate side disappeared. It was interesting for Elena to see such unpredictable things from him; a good kind of unpredictability. It was a new Damon. She somehow liked this new Damon. She even wished that this side of him would come out often.

The drive came to an end when the car stopped right in front of Elena's apartment. Elena was ready to bolt out of the car when she heard Damon cut the engine off from beside her. Her eyes widened, still staring outside of her window. Turning the engine off only meant one thing. He wasn't going to allow her to leave wordless.

Elena's hand was already on the doorknob. She was just waiting for Damon to do something. She waited for a good minute or so, but when he did nothing, Elena pulled the knob and opened the car door. Just when she was about to get herself out of the awkward silence that hugged the both of them, Damon broke her focus. "Aren't you going to say goodbye to my son?"

Those words caught her off guard. She wasn't even sure if she heard him right. Damon wanted her to bid her goodnight and goodbye to Dylan? She took a nice amount of time to think about what she was supposed to do. Without saying a word to Damon, she looked over her seat to see the six-year-old boy fast asleep, sitting at the back seat with a safety belt wrapped around his tiny body. Seeing him made her smile. Elena liked adorable children and the sight of Dylan sleeping peacefully, his messy black hair almost covering half of his face, was beyond adorable.

She pondered on the thought of leaving her student without a proper goodbye. She thought of the chance that Dylan might feel sad for leaving without even saying farewell. She thought of how she would meet his face on the next day when she would come over their home to tutor him, and he wouldn't even look at her for what she refused to do the night before. Elena tried to shake off that unbearable thought from her mind and just decided to go with whatever her gut tells her. She then got out of the car, went to the door that led to the back seat, opened it and sat beside Dylan.

His face was angelic. And even with just the dim light that came from the street posts, she still managed to make out his features – his rosy cheeks, his thin lips, and even the long lashes that framed his beautiful eyes. Elena stared in awe. The image of this boy melted her heart. His personality also added a little something that made Elena more drawn to him than she should normally be. _There's just something in this boy… I just don't know what it is._

She brushed the tousled hair that was on his face, and with a small smile on her lips, she kissed the boy on the forehead. Dylan groaned and moved a bit, but the safety belt that wrapped around his frame restrained him from moving too much. She rubbed his head lightly and watched him wiggle under the restraints.

"Good Night, Dylan. See you tomorrow," Elena whispered and gave him another peck on the forehead. Feeling satisfied with herself, she shifted on the seat and slowly got out of the car, but then she heard a boy's voice speak in a low murmur behind her as she got up.

"Good Night… mommy," Dylan said subconsciously. Elena surely didn't know what to do. She was surprised at what her student said. But instead of reacting negatively toward what she had heard, Elena smiled once more and felt her heart melt. Even though she knew that she would be in an awkward position to be called mommy at that moment and at those circumstances, she accepted it anyway. She knew she had a soft spot for that kid and she was proud to know that the kid feels the same for her.

She smiled as she successfully got out of the car without disturbing Dylan's slumber. She felt happy at what she did; a wide smile of gladness marked her lips. She then shut the door behind her and turned around. Her smile almost faded away completely when he saw Damon's figure staring at her, his stance arrogant – arms crossed, feet that are shoulder-length apart, head cocked to the side – and a look on his face as if he was trying to decipher something.

Damon stood a good five feet away from her; her back leaned on the blue Chevy that was parked behind her. At that moment, Elena felt like everything around her paused. It was just her and Damon again. Her heart beat faster and her breath quickened. She wasn't sure if the man before her was going to terrorize her once more. She didn't like the emotions she felt when she was around Damon. The emotions felt dark and discomforting. She wanted to get away from it – from him. And the only thing that lingered on her mind for her to do was to run for it.

Elena kept her gaze away from Damon's eyes as she paced towards her house. She passed his side, pulled her right shoulder in; avoiding any chance of their skins from touching. She was almost at her porch, just a few steps away, when Damon interrupted her thoughts, "Aren't you going to say goodnight to me?"

She stopped dead in her tracks. _Damn it_, she said to herself. Just when she thought that she was finally safe from Damon and his antics, she actually thought wrong. And just like earlier, Elena wasn't sure on what she's going to do. She turned on her heel and faced the man she'd been avoiding for the last six years. He was wearing a smirk on his lips and a mischievous look masked his pale, blue eyes. Elena gave out a soft sigh and closed her eyes. And when she opened them, her big, brown doe eyes finally met at Damon's.

"Good night," she said to him, not really meaning it. She turned her back again to Damon and headed to her house. When she reached her porch, she opened her purse and looked for the keys. Elena opened her door and got in. When she turned around to close it, and maybe even peak outside to see if Damon was already leaving, she was shocked to see blue eyes staring back at her.

She jumped in surprise for she didn't hear Damon's footsteps following her to her doorstep. She almost let out a yelp, but she forced herself to keep it all in. It was already late and she didn't want to disturb her neighbours. Elena crossed her arms over her chest as she grimaced at Damon who was staring at her with his hands in his pocket.

The stare that he gave her was different. It wasn't cold and it didn't make her feel uneasy. She couldn't describe it. It was her first time to see this kind of look in his eyes. His brows were furrowed as if he was thinking of something really hard, and he bit his lower lip as if he was trying to stop himself from saying anything he knew he would regret. Elena's expression softened when she saw him like this. It almost seemed as if he was fighting with himself in his mind. Her grimace faded and turned into a look of concern – a look she wasn't aware of at that moment.

They stared at each other for quite a long time. She didn't know what she was going to say. She wasn't even sure if she was supposed to say something. She just kept her lips shut. She was waiting for him to say something to her. _I mean, that's what he came here for, right?_ She felt like almost five minutes had passed, and when he still said nothing, Elena decided it was time to end the silence. She shifted her weight to her other leg and repeated her words to him a while ago; this time, with feelings.

"Good night, Damon." And with those words, Damon finally mustered up enough strength for him to say the things that had been in his mind the whole time they kept their silence.

"Thank you," he murmured in a low voice, as if he was ashamed of saying those words aloud. And just like everything else that Damon does, it shocked Elena to hear him say something like that. Her eyes fluttered open and close in confusion, still trying to process what was just happening before her. She tilted her head to the side, interested in finding out where this conversation of theirs was going.

"I just wanted to say thank you," Damon continued, his eyes still pierced hers in a soft manner. "Thank you for going out to dinner with us, for agreeing to tutor Dylan, for not avoiding me despite of my tendencies of becoming an ass at times," he said as his eyes rolled and his lips formed a straight line; as if he, too, was frustrated at his own self.

Elena took in a deep breath and exhaled. She straightened her posture and licked her lips. "You're welcome," she said as their eyes connected once more. "But to tell you the truth, I'm not doing this for you." She added. Damon bowed his head for a second, and then his eyes returned back to where they once were – at her. "I'm doing this for Dylan."

"I know." Damon answered a little too quickly for Elena to not take it in a bad way. His brows drew lower and the intensity returned to his eyes yet again. That look confirmed to her that their moment of seriousness was over. Elena closed her eyes, inhaled for a quick second, and opened them back again only to meet the cold eyes that stared at her face; the usual playful smirk lingering again upon Damon's lips.

Damon placed his arm on the threshold and posed his regular masculine pose. Elena just rolled her eyes at his gesture. "Is that all you've come to say?"

"Do you still know how to get to the boarding house?" He asked as he raised his eyebrows at her, disregarding her question.

"Maybe." Elena answered his question immediately. But then she remembered, it had been six years since she was at the Salvatore Boarding House. She wasn't sure if she could still recall the route to the place. All she was sure of was that it was a big house in the middle of nowhere, with a big front yard and an even bigger back yard.

"Oh, there's no room for shyness around here, Elena." He cooed, a chuckle following his choice of words. That was when Damon reached in his jacket and took out a black wallet. He opened it, grabbed a small card and handed it over to Elena.

Elena hesitated to accept the piece of cardboard that was squeezed between Damon's right index and middle fingers. Her eyes shifted from the card, to his eyes, and back to the card. She wasn't sure if she still knew how to get to the boarding house, and it would be much worse if she would get lost in the way there and have Damon pick her up. Elena thought that accepting the card would be better than accepting another ride from him. Already decided, Elena snatched the card from his hands. "Is that all?"

A small chuckle escaped from Damon's lips. He placed his hands back in his pocket and smirked at her. "I see that you'd want to get back to your house now." He said, his eyes gazing at her with such amusement. "I'm looking forward to seeing you again tomorrow, Ms. Gilbert. I hope you'd find the calling card very much useful."

Damon turned on his heel and began pacing back to his car when he suddenly remembered something. He looked over his shoulder and called Elena again. "Oh, and Ms. Gilbert," He caught Elena's attention and when her eyes finally met his, he gave her a quick wink together with his very infamous smirk and added, "Good night." And with that, Damon got in his car, started the engine and drove off.

An icy chill ran down Elena's spine and she shivered. _What the…_ She wasn't sure on what just happened. And even as she closed the door, she still felt a weird draft surrounding her. She placed her hands on her arms and rubbed them quickly, trying to produce as much heat as she possibly could. It was weird though, because despite of the chill that she felt hugging her tight, a flush of warmth rushed to her cheeks and she felt her face getting hot. Her heart fluttered and she felt something unknown churn in her gut. She had a clue on what she was feeling, but she definitely did not want to admit it to herself.

"I'd rather die than admit it," She said to herself as she tossed her house keys to a table near the front door, quickly walking to her room. She removed her heels, changed to her night clothes and did her nightly ritual in the bathroom. As she tucked herself to bed and let the darkness consume her, she couldn't help but replay the moment that had just recently happened in her mind: the sight of Damon, winking at her, his good-looking-self manipulating her female hormones. She hated the fact that it only took his bad-boy charms to make her melt to her knees. She loathed herself for even thinking of him that way. _Damn it, control yourself. You hate him._ She repeated in her head. She knew that she shouldn't be thinking that way of Damon Salvatore. It was wrong. It was dangerous. Yet, it was one thought that never seemed to leave her mind even as she slept.

.

.

.

Elena was woken by the bright sunlight that came from her window. She checked the digital clock that was at her bed-side table and saw that it was already seven o'clock. She rolled on her bed, hugged a pillow one more time and finally sat up. She hated waking up this early when it was weekends. It had been a long time since she last woke up like this on a Saturday. The usual time she woke on days like this one was at noon; probably even later. And even though she wanted so much to crawl back to bed and fall asleep again, she knew she just couldn't. A little boy was expecting her today; probably even his father as well. There was no room for disappointment; not for her anyway.

She headed to her bathroom and took a warm shower. She finished quite quickly, wrapped a towel around herself, and then headed to her closet. She wasn't sure what she was going to wear. Should she go casual? It was a Saturday after all. She wasn't expecting any work and she always wore casual attires during weekends. Should she put on work wear? What she was going to do did involve teaching, and proper teaching attire seemed fitting. She pondered on her choice of clothes for a while and then just decided to go with both.

She grabbed a white, long-sleeved shirt with a plunging neckline and paired it off with a greyish, layered skirt that reached up to above her knees. She also selected her silver, sparkly purse and beige-coloured pumps to go with her ensemble. She dried her hair with her blow dryer and put on nude make up that was light enough to match her light choice of clothes.

It was already 8:30 when Elena made her way down the stairs. Realizing that she had no time left for breakfast, she just took a quick pit stop at the kitchen, drank a glass of water, and got her keys from the table near the door. Just as she grabbed her car keys and house keys, she felt something sharp poke her palm. She opened her hand and found the square piece of cardboard that Damon handed to her last night. She made her way to her car and started the engine. As she was waiting for her engine to heat up, she read the crumpled calling card that she held in her hand.

The only thing that was written on the card's front side was his name – _Damon Salvatore_. She wondered why the card didn't state Damon's position, his job, or even his workplace. She flipped the card over and saw his contact numbers, e-mail address and house address. And as Elena read word per word the address to where she was going to, certain memories of the past flooded back to her mind – memories she never wanted to recall again. Shaking off those unwanted thoughts from her brain, she threw the calling card over to the rider's seat, placed her hands on the wheel, and stepped on the gas.

As her car winded down the long road, Elena tried distracting herself by recalling the things Dylan missed from his three-day absence and strategizing on how she will teach him those later on. She knew that he had missed recalling the alphabet, counting up to twenty, and writing all those characters on a piece of paper. She also knew that she had to teach him how to write his complete name at least fifty times on a piece of white paper with blue lines.

Thinking about those things made Elena smile for she knew that those were the things that made her enter the world of teaching. She loved educating young minds. She loved the look on the kid's faces when they were taught new things – things that they never even knew. She loved their awe, their childlike expressions and their appreciation for life and everything that comes with it. It made her feel like no matter how much work she was doing, it would still be worth it.

Her mind continued to drift off to other thoughts similar to those. She kept on imagining different scenarios, unaware of the fact that she had already arrived her destination. _Damn it, I'm high again, _Elena thought to herself as she realized what she had been doing. Her car crawled to a stop right in front of the Salvatore Boarding House. She cut off the engine, grabbed her purse from the seat next to her, and got out of the car.

Elena stared at the large manor in front of her. She couldn't believe the fact that she was staring at it again after six years of trying to forget about it and the memories that it harboured. And even though it had been a long time since she was there, the place still looked the same. It still held the same elegance of its antiquity. It still had that same, dark aura surrounding it. It still had the same century-old trees covering it from sight. It still had that same spine-tingling effect on her whenever she would lay her eyes on that house. And lastly, it still had that same memory attached to it; that it continued to burn her fragile little heart.

Wanting to clear her mind of those things bothering her again, Elena tore her eyes from the dull, yet beautiful, building before her and made her way up to the front door. _I guess this is it_. She held her right hand up and knocked her hand on the door; loud enough for people that were inside to hear, yet soft enough to not draw too much attention on her.

She waited, shifting her weight on her legs repeatedly – trying her best not be impatient. It felt like almost ten minutes had already passed. She thought that maybe no one heard it, so she decided to try again. Elena knocked on the door one more time, making it a little louder and heavier this time. It definitely hurt her knuckles, but when she heard footsteps growing louder from the other side, she no longer needed to repeat it.

A woman who looked like she was in her mid-30's opened the door. She was slightly taller than Elena, and she looked like as if she had some Asian descent. She was fair, even considerably beautiful. Her hair was tied in a bun on her head and she wore a light blue uniform that signified her job of being a housekeeper. She had a blank look on her face as she stared back at Elena.

"Good morning. I'm Elena Gilbert. I'm here for my tutorial sessions with Dylan Salv–" But before she even finished, the woman cut her off.

"I know who you are and what you came here for." She said in a rather cold tone. Elena's jaw almost dropped open as the woman said those words to her. She felt her blood beginning to boil at the reaction the housekeeper gave her. She tried as much as she could to remain patient with the woman. _It's not worth it, Elena,_ she repeated to herself mentally. Elena wasn't sure if she wanted to hear what else the woman had to say, but she was sure of the fact that she really needed to get in the house. And as if the woman heard her inner thoughts, she said, "Please, come in," and moved to the side, giving Elena enough space for her to make her way in.

Elena hesitated at first, eyeing the woman whose body was partially covered the by wooden door. She noticed how her face looked cold and how her eyes pierced the carpet below her feet. She guessed that it wasn't only Damon who had an attitude problem under the boarding house's roof. Elena then took one deep breath, keeping her eyes away from the woman, and stepped her right foot in first. As she made her way to the foyer, she heard the woman shut the door close behind her. Her eyes followed the woman as she saw her walk away, not giving her any thought to where Damon was and when he will be out.

Left alone inside the Salvatore Boarding House, recurring images flashed in Elena's mind as all the things that were around her reminded her of everything she so much wanted to forget. Her eyes skimmed the whole living area, trailing paths from the couches that surrounded the mahogany-framed coffee table at the center of the lobby, to the shelves filled with books that made up a whole wall on the other side of the room. She also saw the fireplace that was as intricately designed as the rest of the house, and even the several bottles of high-class alcohol atop a small, glass table that she knew too well a long time ago.

As her eyes trailed to the couch in the middle of the room, a thought crossed her mind if she should sit down there and wait for her hosts, but she wasn't sure if she was supposed to sit down. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to be welcomed in that house in the first place. Her grudge for the Salvatore's was still alive in her heart and her mind and she knew that its flame wouldn't be put out soon.

She had already been standing there for fifteen minutes, and still, there was no sign of Damon or his adorable child anywhere. The house remained silent. Nothing moved except for her and it was beginning to feel unsettling. Elena thought that walking around would ease her nerves, but then she was reminded that she was on monster's territory and that walking around might be a very regrettable idea. And now that the thought was in her head, curiosity suddenly flowed through her veins – the curiosity to find out the changes in the Salvatore Boarding House. She fought with herself mentally whether or not she would give in to her urges, but seeing that her hosts wouldn't be around anytime soon, she thought that it would probably be best to pass time that way.

Her venture further inside the boarding house made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. It felt like as if she was in a haunted house. Everything looked old, historical, and painfully familiar. Firstly, she made her way down the left wing of the large manor. Aware that there were at most eight bedrooms located inside the house, she knew that four of them were on the wing she made her way through. She walked down the corridor and saw two doors closed shut, another two slightly open and one that was pad-locked. Elena was curious to peek at the two doors that were slightly open, but then she realized she'd never really known which room was Damon's and she didn't want to make the mistake of entering his. She wouldn't want to be stuck in a room with him and all his 'morning glory'. She snuck past the two slightly opened doors and walked quietly until she reached the end. At the end of the hallway was the dining room, and located right next to it was the kitchen.

After touring the left wing of the house, she turned on her heel and headed to the other wing. She took in a deep breath before she even made her first step, because she knew that there would be an eerie feeling of familiarity once she steps foot into that dark portal. She knew that she was heading to the wing where Stefan's room was located.

She composed herself and made unsure steps toward the opposite corridor. Just like the first wing, she saw four doors and all of them were shut. Her eyes trailed to the farthest door on her left and just staring at the door itself already had a huge effect on her. She felt a slight pang in her chest and in her gut. Her brows furrowed and she wrapped her arms around herself, as if she was trying to hold herself together. The door she stared at led to the room she'd been in the last time she was in this house. And as if she wanted to burn herself even more with the painful memory that haunted her, she held her right arm out and reached for the doorknob. She was curious to lay her eyes on it again. Still thinking of whether or not her actions would be regrettable, her small hand wrapped around the cold stainless steel of knob. All that was left for her to do was to turn her hand, open the door and peek her head in and the thirst of her curiosity would be quenched.

Elena counted in her head. _One. Two. Three_, and with that, she twisted the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open. The slowness of her actions filled her veins with adrenaline and suspense. The door was already half-open when she heard a low, husky voice come up to her from behind. On instinct, she let out a small yelp, pulled the door close and turned to see who her intruder was. Her chest heaved and her eyes rolled when she was met with a smirk she was not expecting to meet.

"Good Morning, Ms. Gilbert," Damon said in his low, morning voice, as he stood a yard away from her. His hair looked damp and messy and Elena figured that he might have just gotten out of the shower. Her eyes trailed from the black tresses atop his head to the pale blue eyes that pierced hers. Then, they went down to observe his overconfident smirk and the untouched stubble that covered his chin. It seemed that he had just woken up recently. And from his chin, her eyes slowly and unknowingly fell upon his naked torso. Her eyes scanned every muscle, but what made her breath hitch was how desperately low his dark jeans hung on his hips and how it revealed the toned cuts that marked his pelvis. It made Elena think on how it was possible for someone to look so clean, yet so dirty at the same time.

Her eyes remained subconsciously ogling Damon's half-naked body. She was so caught up in his perfect image that when Damon spoke again, she herself was surprised at her own actions. "I see that you've enjoyed your sight-seeing." He remarked, placing his hands in his pockets and pushing his jeans even lower. Elena immediately withdrew her eyes from his body and returned them to his face. The thought of wanting to smack the smirk off his face clouded her mind. She hated him for manipulating her female hormones like that. She hated herself more for even falling for the slightest bit of it.

Not knowing what to say after being caught staring, Elena decided to answer him back in the safest way possible. "You took long. I waited for almost thirty minutes." She leaned back on the door and crossed her arms over her chest.

"As you have already _thoroughly_ seen, I was showering. I would've gotten out sooner, but I figured that you wouldn't want to see me much more indecent than I already am now." Damon spat back, his brows waggling and his smirk getting even more amused. Elena almost let out a scoff. She was totally getting pissed at him again. This was going to be her daily doings as long as Damon was in her life, but she already knew that. She just couldn't accept the fact that he might be staying for quite a long time and she didn't like that at all.

She decided that she didn't have any more time for his immature antics so she decided to change the topic to ease the tension around them. "Where's Dylan?"

"In his room," He answered immediately. "If you don't already know, it's the one on the farthest, most extreme left side of that wing." He continued groggily, removing his left hand from his pocket and pointing unsteadily to the direction he was telling her about. He told her about Dylan's room as if he was subconsciously ordering her to go in the room and have a look for herself. Elena wasn't sure if it was a trap or just a random act, but she was sure that she would be willing to do anything to get out of the crosshairs of the half-naked Damon Salvatore.

Elena turned on her heel and made her way to the other wing again. She brisk walked down the corridor till she reached the door Damon had told her. Without looking back to see if Damon was staring at her, following her, or even near her, she closed her body to the slightly opened door and gave it light knocks. "Dylan, it's me, Ms. Elena." She repeated the knocks for a couple of times, but when no one answered her, she decided to peak her head in and see for herself what was going on.

She entered and noticed a variety of things she hadn't seen before in the antique boarding house. She saw a bright room whose walls were painted white with hints of pale blue that gave it a neutral, boyish feel, that despite of the fact that the lights were off, the room remained luminous. Toys were scattered everywhere; on the floor, on the study desk, in the closet. A white-framed window was on one side of the room. It gave a good view of the front lawn and enough space for the sunlight to enter the room. She also saw a white bed with white sheets and a white, wooden bed frame. And on it lay a six-year-old boy, fast asleep, a light blue quilt wrapped around his small body.

Elena felt heat rush to her cheeks. The boy even managed to pull at her heartstrings even while he was asleep and that made her feel fascinated. She knew that there was something in that boy that made her feel attached to him; she just quite couldn't put her finger on it. She wanted to come closer but she felt like an intruder – entering someone else's room without their permission. She decided that it was better to withdraw herself from the room and just wait for Dylan to wake up.

As she turned around to walk back to the living room, she accidentally bumped into Damon who was standing right behind her, still as indecent as he was a while ago. Elena felt their bodies touch and immediately flinched away, as if she were just burned. She realized that looking at Damon was giving enough damage to her insides and that touching him would be worse. She was willing to do everything it takes just for them to not touch each other – that was how desperate she was. Damon stared at her with a confused look and she answered him nonverbally with a reassuring head shake, letting him know that it was nothing.

Without her knowledge, Damon had observed Elena from the door frame. He watched how she looked at his son and even the slight movement she made to move closer that was halted. Damon could read her like an open book and he knew that she wanted to come closer, but was unsure of herself again. That was why when Damon caught her gaze in his, he permitted her to continue, "Wake him up. It's alright. It's already half past nine. You two should be getting through ABCs by now." He muttered in a voice that was even lower than a whisper.

Elena was taken by surprise. She had no idea how Damon got into her head and figured out her motives. _Am I that easy to read?_ She looked at him for a long time and saw nothing behind the blank depths that stared her down. She couldn't make out what he was thinking and it was driving her insane. She wanted to know. Keeping in mind that there was no chance at all that Damon would share his inner thoughts, she decided to drop the subject and do what Damon had told her.

She turned her back to him and walked to the bed. She sat down on the mattress and placed her hand on the Dylan's leg. She began tapping him lightly, trying to wake him up as soft as possible. She repeated her words to him earlier, "Dylan, it's time to wake up. It's me, Ms. Elena." And after a few light shakes, she saw the little boy's eyes open slowly, revealing the blue orbs that were hidden under his heavy lids. The boy's hand shot up to his face in an attempt to clear his eyes, and when he removed it, he stared at the figure watching him as he woke up. "Ms. Elena?"

When Elena heard those words, a wide smile immediately spread to her lips. She loved the sound of the boy's voice ringing in her ears. She was glad to know that he was already awake. Dylan then began sitting up on his bed, letting out a big yawn in the process. "Ms. Elena," he repeated. "You're here." He said, sounding enthusiastic despite of his present disorientation.

"Yes, I am," Elena replied in return, still keeping the smile on her face. "I promised you that I would tutor you on weekends, remember? You have me all to yourself on Saturdays." She added, earning a small smirk from the boy who was still trying to clear his eyes. But before Elena could add anything, or Dylan could reply anything, Damon interrupted their sweet rendezvous by clearing his throat.

"Dylan, go take a bath now, son, would you?" Damon said as he took a couple of steps toward Dylan and Elena, his hands still in his pocket. And as if Dylan was an automated robot, he immediately got off his bed, got his towel ran for the bathroom that was just a couple of steps away from his previous position. And with that, Damon and Elena are again alone in the same room.

Elena hated moments like those – moments when she was left in a room with _him_ who was unstable most of the time. She didn't like the things that went down when the two of them were left alone together. There was a huge gap between him and her, and as always, she knew that he was staring at her, even when she wasn't looking at him. She always had the feeling that he was staring at her. But for the first time after the past two days they'd been doing this, Elena decided she wasn't going to take it as the victim anymore. She was going to do everything to fight her way to freedom from him.

It took her a lot of guts, but Elena finally launched herself and began striding out of Dylan's room. She was already half-way down the corridor when she heard Damon call her from behind. _Please, not any more of his games_. Elena slowly turned around to face him, and when she did, she saw that he was already only a couple of inches away from her. She almost jumped from where she stood. Elena oftentimes forgot that Damon could be unsettlingly stealthy and that was something she should get used to if they were to communicate on a daily basis. Her eyes fluttered quickly and she took a sharp intake of breath, "What is it?" She asked him quite calmly.

He responded quickly. "You see, men don't usually behave well when they have an empty stomach," Damon dragged his words, raising his eyebrows to emphasize what he was trying to say. Elena already knew where their conversation was heading and she knew that having any more meals with the man was going to be an outrage. She still didn't like Damon and she would still want to keep her distance from him as much as she possibly can. Elena's lips opened, wanting to stop him before he lets the word out, but he just wouldn't let her. "And if you think that I'm doing this to get you to have breakfast with me, you're sadly mistaken."

Her lips suddenly shut to a close. The last set of words confused her. She wasn't sure what he was trying to pull, but she sure wasn't getting it. Instead of cutting him off, she let him continue his statement. "As you already know, I'm not very _good_ when I get hungry," He paused to stare at Elena who was still baffled at his point. He observed her expressions and continued, "And I'm already a grown man at this point. Imagine that same behaviour, only amplified and coming from a six-year-old boy." And that final statement cleared the meaning of everything to Elena.

What Damon was trying to say to her was that Dylan throws fits and tantrums whenever he's told to do something before food. It had just been a week after Elena first met Dylan and she never imagined the small boy to do something as horrifying as that. But then she realized that it was typical behaviour for children his age. She always took him as a charmer. Suddenly, she remembered that Dylan was no ordinary boy. He was the son of Damon Salvatore – utterly famous for charming women and throwing fits of rage under the influence of alcohol. _I should've guessed,_ Elena thought to herself. _Like father, like son._

Elena was pulled out of the little portal that was her mind by Damon's voice. "So, since you've already joined us this morning, why not have breakfast with me?" He added in his low and rough voice that made chills run down her spine. Her breathing became erratic and she wanted to fight the irrational thoughts off her head. _Stop it. You hate him,_ she repeated to herself shook off her thoughts and stared into his playful eyes.

"I'd rather not," And again, it took Elena a lot of guts just to muster those words and let them out for Damon to hear. But just as she thought that she already had the upper hand, Damon took a step closer to her, and in turn, she took a step backwards. She felt the wall of the corridor make contact with her back and she had a bad feeling that the following series of events would not be good.

The proximity between them became unsettling. She could already feel Damon's warm breath on her skin. His heat was radiating on to her and it made her more nervous. The scent of his newly-showered body intoxicated her. Elena felt as if she was beginning to lose her mind. She tried as much as possible to avoid Damon's eyes. She stared past his shoulder to distract her from his hypnotizing, blue orbs. And as she tried to concentrate on keeping her progesterone at check, Damon interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh, so you would rather stay here?" He asked his rather sarcastic question as he took another step forward, completely invading Elena's personal space. On instinct, she put her hands up and placed them in front of her, buying her enough space for her to breathe. She felt warm skin touch her hands. Her line of sight travelled from over Damon's shoulder to her hands and she realized what she was doing. She immediately removed her hands from his abdomen and crossed them quickly over her chest. Elena heard a low chuckle erupt from Damon's throat.

And with that, Damon leaned his face closer to her and all Elena could do was hold her breath and wish for everything to be over. He leaned closer and closer until there was no more space between them. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see what would happen next. And then, he whispered to her words she knew she never wanted to hear from him: "I can do this _all_ day." In that instant, Elena gave up.

"Fine, I'll have breakfast with you." Elena whispered back in a rather weak voice. She felt the air shift and everything became cool again. She took a deep breath and exhaled. She was finally able to breathe again. She slowly opened her eyes, expecting that Damon would be there, staring at her; laughing at her for still falling for his same old tricks. But he wasn't. As Elena's eyes adjusted to the dim lighting of the corridor, she saw that Damon was no longer near her. She looked around and saw that he was making his way toward the kitchen – still strutting the same way he usually does.

Elena couldn't believe what just happened. She didn't want to _accept_ the fact it just happened. But most importantly, she also didn't want to accept the fact that she might go through it again, and again, and _again_. Everything was unpredictable with Damon Salvatore around, and she just couldn't take it anymore. She wanted to leave. She wanted to run away again, just like she had six years ago. She just couldn't. She was tired of running away full circle, ending up back again where she started from. It was a cycle and she knew she needed to break it. She knew that the only way to end all of this was to face it all with a brave face.

And the first thing she needed to do to accomplish that? Join Damon for breakfast.

.

.

.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>:

_(April 2_3_, 2013_)

Hi everyone! So, as you guys can see, I've already posted **Chapter 5** of **My Pre-School Teacher**. I'm sorry if I've kept you all waiting. Truly, I am. It's just that I've been busy lately with all my studies and I had no time to write at all. I did a lot of stuff for the past two years and now I'm back. Yay!

As you can see, it's a very long chapter - my longest one yet - and I did it to make sure that it has all the elements to keep all of you on your feet. I promise I'll update more recently (because of the fact that it's summer here) and I will be updating until maybe the first week of June. It's because the week after that would be my first week of becoming a freshman college student. Yay!

So, yeah. Thank you for reading **My Pre-School Teacher**. Thank you for staying tuned in. I promise I will finish this story and I will keep up to all of your expectations. Please don't forget to **Read and Review**. I live for all your feedback. If you have any questions, you may ask me through _private messaging_ or through the review box. **I answer all of my reviews**. And if you wanna know more about what happened over the last two years that I went missing, you could go to **My Official FanFiction Tumblr Page **(the link would be on my profile page - or you could go to _/bittersweetloverott_ - for those who are interested) and read my blog posts there.

That's about it. Thank you again for reading. See you next update!


End file.
